Forever Ago
by crookshanks87
Summary: A complete time travel story. Memory loss and the Maruaders. Sirius, Severus, and secrets. Harry meets the Maruaders sending him on a journey so he can finally find peace once and for all.
1. The Hospital Wing

1Chapter 1: The Hospital Wing

I woke up suddenly with a nagging suspicion I had forgotten something very important. Keeping my eyes closed and willing my head to stop throbbing I wondered when I hurt my head. Rubbing my face, I sat up and reached for my glasses. The moment they touched my face I realized something was wrong. I wasn't in my bed. I was in the hospital wing. The only problem was I had no idea how I got there. I thought back, remembering the previous night. The last thing I remembered was going to the library with Ron and Hermione. Even though it was only the first month of school Hermione was already studying for her N.E.W.T.'s and insists that Ron and I do the same.

Was I injured in the library? I doubt the Monster book of Monsters attacked me. Of course there is the obvious reason I would be in the hospital wing. Voldemort could have attacked me, but wouldn't I remember something if he had? Hadn't I already defeated Voldemort? If I was attacked Hermione and Ron must have been attacked too. A kind of panic took hold of me.

I began to frantically look around. The beds were arranged in a way that I had never seen before and they were all empty. That could mean anything, that they were okay or that they were... A gut clinching dread filled me. After Sirius's death I vowed I would never be the cause of another friend's death. But then where were Ron and Hermione, if they weren't hurt they would be here with me. I stood up and started searching around the room. I foolishly searched underneath beds, in cabnets, even a couple of draws. Subconsciously I noted the hospital wing was different from how it was the last time I was here. The beds had been rearranged and there were different portraits on the walls. I didn't stop to ponder why the hospital wing looked unusual.

"Hermione! Ron! Where are you?" I shouted desperately. I was on the verge of running out of the hospital wing to look for them when Professor Dumbledore walked into the room. I immediately started to calm. The familiar twinkle was sparkling beneath his moon shaped spectacles.

"Professor Dumbledore, Ron and Hermione they are alright, aren't they?" I said the panic evident in my voice. Dumbledore paused a moment before answering.

"Child, please sit down. I have a few questions for you. When Professor McGonagall--"

"What happened to Ron and Hermione? Just tell me the truth." My temper was beginning to flare. Why couldn't he just answer my question? Embarrassed I realized I was standing by an open cabinet I had been peering into in hopes of finding a trace of Ron or Hermione. I shut the door quickly. Dumbledore pretended not to notice. 

"If you would kindly tell me who Ron and Hermione are I would be glad to help you find them, but first thing first. It might be, ah, beneficial to know who you are," Dumbledore replied peacefully, looking as if it was perfectly normal for a stranger in a hospital to yell at him.

"What!" Dumbledore must have finally lost his mind. "Er, I'm Harry, well, er, Professor Dumbledore are you alright?" I stammered out. It's finally happened, Dumbledore has gone crazy. Not normal Dumbledore crazy but actually crazy. It's not like somebody just forgets The-Boy-Who-Lived.

"Actually I am feeling quite superb today. I mean you can image the shock of finding a boy passed out in the library that nobody seems to know. Poor Professor McGonagall didn't quite know what to make of you. At first she thought you were Mr. Potter." My confusion just increased. "You probably don't know but Mr. Potter and his friends are quite the practically jokers. You wouldn't believe what they did last Monday. See they took some boomslang and—Are you alright?" he inquired as I started choking on my own tongue in shock.

"Er, you, you can't mean James Potter?" I sat down on a nearby bed. This can't be happening I thought. This has to be some kind of sick joke, but Dumbledore would never do that. He does have a strange sense of humor but this would be to much. How is this possible? Dumbledore's piercing gaze cut through me.

"You know of him? He does have quite the reputation," Dumbledore said with amusement his sharp gaze never leaving my face.

"But he can't be here, now, can he? I...I mean, not here!" I stuttered out realizing I sounded like Ron talking about Voldemort.

"Harry, of course James Potter is here at Hogwarts. It's his seventh year," he said.

"Its his seventh year. . .but that would mean. . . " I muttered to myself. "Er, I was just wondering, well, what year is it?"

"It's September 4, 1977 dear boy. That reminds me Madame Pomfrey told me to ask you some questions if you were to awaken while I was here. Do you know if you received a head injured? Who is the Minister of Magic? Do you have any known allergies? And of course how did you end up here?" he asked politely without pausing between questions to give me a chance to answer.

"Head injury—no clue, Minister of Magic—Cornelius Fudge, allergies nothing serious just sea food, and I'm not sure how I got here, professor. The last thing I remember was going to the library with Ron and Hermione, and, well this might sound crazy, but I'm from 1997." If Dumbledore thought this idea was strange nobody could tell. I suddenly noticed how young Dumbledore looked.

"Hmmm," Dumbledore began thoughtfully, "that would explain why you're about seventeen, carrying a wand, and as far as I know no one has ever seen you before. You're young enough to still be in wizardry school and you're obviously a wizard," Dumbledore mused. Dumbledore was about to continue when a young Madame Pomfrey walked into the room.

"Good you're awake I was worried you might not wake up until tomorrow." She paused a moment to make some motions with her wand. "Everything seems to be alright, you should eat this chocolate," Pomfrey handed me a great block of the stuff, and glared at me until I took a bite, "and get some sleep," she finished, giving Dumbledore a pointed look that clearly said 'you should leave' Dumbledore was, of course, oblivious to the glare. Harry began to eat his chocolate.

"Poppy, could you tell us what exactly is wrong with Harry?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Hmph, I'm not sure. It seems that he was knocked unconscious. There doesn't seem to be any permanent damage as far as I can see. That is all I can tell," Pomfrey admitted. "Unless you know what happened?"

"No, I don't remember anything about how I ended up here," Harry replied.

"At first I thought Minerva had brought in Mr. Potter, goodness knows he and his friends spend enough time in here...always causing problems. Are you related to Mr. Potter? You do look incredibly like him." This question confused Harry so he wisely choose not to answer.

"Poppy, if the child will be alright, would you mind if I speak with him alone?"

"Very well, it is your school," Pomfrey said giving Dumbledore a slight glare. She left the room and Dumbledore cast a silencing spell.

Suddenly I got an idea that might help get some explanations. "Professor Dumbledore, here, look at my wand," I said as I handed him my wand. "It contains the feather of a phoenix. Your phoenix to be exact."

"Hmmm... I asked Mr. Ollivander to contact me the moment this wand was sold. Eleven inches made out of holly. Good thing it's not made out of yew..." Dumbledore murmured. Dumbledore must have been thinking I was related to 'Him'. Maybe he still does; I do have the brother wand of Voldemort. Voldemort was definitely not what I want to think about because that always leads to... I groaned. Dumbledore must have noticed because he gave me an odd look.

"You don't remember how or why you were sent here, do you?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, professor, all I can remember is sitting in the library with my friends and the next thing I knew I was here," I replied.

"Well my child, time travel is a dangerous type of magic. I shall, of course, investigate how you were sent here and how to send you back to the future, assuming you would like to go back?" I nodded hesitantly. "In the meantime I would ask you not to tell anyone you are from the future. I will say that you have been home schooled and your parents decided to let you come to Hogwarts for your final year. You are in seventh year?" I nodded again. "Now to conceal your obvious relation to Mr. James Potter." Dumbledore clapped his hands twice and I felt as through a bucket of water was dumped over my head. Dumbledore must have put a glamour charm on me. Dumbledore handed me a mirror. My appearance was the same except my hair was dusty brown.

"If you would tell me what house you are in I will call down the Head Girl to show you to your dormitory," Dumbledore said.

"I'm in Gryffindor." I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"I'm going to summon Lily Evans, she is the Head Girl this year, to take you up to the Gryffindor tower and show you your bed. It's rather late, so you should get some sleep. I'll need to talk to you more tomorrow, but Madame Pomfrey will have my head if I keep you up too much longer. Remember to stick to the home school story and, oh, I almost forgot, your new name is Harry Smith. We can't very well have two 'unrelated' Potters in the school. Come to my office tomorrow morning. I'll tell Lily to show you the way and the password is Mars Bars. Do you have any other questions right now? I'm sure your mind is brimming with curiosity."

I felt as through I had been punched in the stomach. My mum. She, Lily Potter, was the Head Girl. I would get to meet my mother. And my father. I would get to see Sirius again. I would be seeing my parents for the first time in sixteen year.

"How did you know I was related to James Potter?" I asked.

Dumbledore smiled, "You look extraordinarily like him, except for your eyes. Perhaps he is your father?" Dumbledore prompted gently.

"Er, yes, he is and Lily Evans is my mother," I answered.

"Interesting, it's not surprising they're going to have children. Remember you cannot tell your mother or your father who you are. You must not do anything to change the future. Is there anything else you would like to know before we talk tomorrow?" I shook my head no. I had about a hundred more questions but they could wait; I didn't want to wait any longer to see my mum. Dumbledore stuck his head into the fire and asked Lily to come down to the hospital wing.

"Madame Pomfrey wouldn't have left me in here alone with you if you were seriously injured, so I will let her know that I gave you permission to leave. I will tell Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey who you really are as they have both seen you without your disguise. I will inform the rest of the staff that you were home schooled. I will see you soon Mr. Smith."

I watched Dumbledore leave the room, my mind racing. Everything was a blur, I felt like I had just fought a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Any moment now I would be seeing my mother. The woman who had died for me, my mind thought angrily. Just like Sirius, and so many others. Died so that I could kill Voldemort. How was I going to look her in the eye knowing what I was going to do to her, to all of them? Guilt wracking my body I rubbed my temples...suddenly, I wasn't looking forward to seeing my mum at all.


	2. Lily

1DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. I'm not making money off of this.

Chapter 2: Lily

I've dreamed about meeting my parents for as long as I can remember. The way my mum would smile at me and then come wrap me up in a hug just like Mrs. Weasley. I had not, however, imagined the first time I meet my mother to go like this.

She walked in through the door and started talking. There was no moment of recognition, no warm smile, no glow in her eyes. I was just some student she had to escort up to the commons room. I was nothing more than a Head Girl duty. And then, the situation got worse...

"Are you even listening to me?" my mother snapped in a very irritated voice.

"Er... I...um...sorry...it's just the first time I've been to Hogwarts I get, er, distracted easily," I mumbled. Great, I've already annoyed my mum.

"Oh yes, Dumbledore mentioned you were home schooled and your parents only now let you transfer," Lily said still slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, and I'm Harry... Smith, that's me." It felt strange to say Smith. If only I could tell her who I really am. I could fix everything. My parents, this woman, wouldn't have to die. Sirius wouldn't ever go to Azkaban, and I wouldn't grow up with the Dursleys. If only I could tell her I would fix everything.

"Yes, Dumbledore told me that and I presume he told you I'm Lily Evans--the Head Girl this year. If you would follow me I will take you to the Gryffindor common room," Lily said importantly. She started walking away, and I trailed after her lost in thought. My mother—no I should think of her as Lily, I can't very well call her mum. Lily seems like a mixture of Percy and Hermione. She seems to take herself a little to seriously, like Percy. But no, she is going to die for me; she's nothing like Percy at all. Percy betrayed us and died for it; Lily died because of her loyalty to her family. I needed to get my thoughts away from such painful topics. I just need to get my thoughts to stop swirling. 

"So, er, what are the teachers like," I said. I couldn't believe one of the first things I asked my mum was about teachers. I began looking around the school, trying to keep busy. It looked basically the same. There were a couple different pictures here and there, but for the most part it hadn't changed.

"Oh, they're alright, Professor Flitwick has to be the best teacher though. I love his charms class." Lily must have noticed I was looking around because she started explaining everything about the school. "You know, there are a hundred and forty-two staircases in Hogwarts, and watch out– they move; it's a bit shocking. Oh, but you're probably already used to magic, since your parents are magical and all. The first time the stairs stated moving on me, I was terrified," Lily said smiling. It seemed as though she was willing to forgive me for not paying attention earlier. Quick to anger and quick to calm down.

"I can see how that would be a shock," I said as we started climbing the first stair case. I remember being amazed the first time I saw magic.

"You're going to get lost the first couple of weeks. Try to make sure you find somebody you can follow to class. If we have similar timetables, I'll make sure you don't get lost," Lily offered.

"Thanks," I responded. Maybe this would be alright. Even though I'm just some kid to her, she is still willing to help me. Or maybe it will be worse seeing how nice she is, knowing that I'm the reason she died. No, she hasn't died yet, because I haven't been born yet. I haven't killed her yet. I wanted to say something, but I felt as though someone was choking me. My throat was tight. How am I going to face her day after day knowing what I'm going to do to her? I tried to look anywhere but at her. How was this even possible? Traveling back in the past shouldn't even be possible. Maybe this is just some sort of strange dream I mused.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked looking concerned. Immediately, I wiped all expression from my face. It was a trick I had learned after...never mind, best not to think about Sirius right now.

"I'm fine," I answered mechanically. What else would have I said? I couldn't exactly tell her the truth.

"You looked upset. Are you scared to be leaving home?" Lily asked with sympathy. I felt like she just punched me in the stomach. I don't deserve her sympathy; I'm the reason she died.

"I'm not afraid," I said quietly and then chuckled to myself. Me, the Boy- Who-Lived, is afraid to leave home. It's not like the Dursleys would protect me. Although, it was strange to have been thrown into the past. To be taken away from all of my friends, without so much as an inkling as to why.

"Don't be ashamed, everybody's nervous the first time they leave home. Are you and your parents close?" Lily asked with concern in her familiar green eyes. She sure has a way to hit me where it hurts. I wanted to scream, and tell her just exactly how close I was with my parents. Instead I just looked down and played with my hands awkwardly. I couldn't meet her eyes. Those beautiful eyes I had inherited.

"I've always been close with my parents; they were thrilled when I got my Hogwarts letter. They always support me even though they're muggles. My parents are really good people. My sister, however...we haven't been able to get along with me, since she found out I was a witch." Lily looked at me to see if I was listening. I was, so she continued. "Petunia has never accepted me and I doubt we'll ever work it out. Especially if she keeps on seeing Vernon," Lily said with disgust.

"That's too bad," I said. I decided to add something else since she was making an effort to be friends. "I, er, I'm not exactly close with my family. I'm an only child, but I do see a lot of my cousin during the summer." That is an honest enough answer I decided. Lily was much more of an open person than I expected. I could hardly believe how much she was telling me even though she hardly knew me.

"Oh, I just assumed you'd be close with your parents since you lived at home with them for so long," Lily said quizzically. She doesn't know anything about me. She doesn't have any right to judge what my life has been like. She doesn't know I lived with her sister for the first ten years of my life, in a cupboard no less. She doesn't know nearly everyone I've ever cared about died. She doesn't know what it's like to look into somebody's eyes as they die. She doesn't no what it's like to kill somebody. She didn't know anything about me.

"My parents were busy people. When I'm not learning from them I don't see them. I am certainly not close with them," I stated defensively.

"Relax. Don't bit my head off," Lily said, her own temper flaring up. No! I can't have her dislike me. We were getting along fine a moment ago.

"Er, yeah, sorry, I don't really like to talk about it," I mumbled hoping we would hurry up and get to the common room. Lily's eyes softened and got her temper under control just as fast as it had flared up.

Then to our horror, we turned a corner and ran smack into Snape. I couldn't believe my eyes, here was a younger version of my greasy potions master. He was still pale, his nose was still too big for his face, and his scowl was nearly identical.

"Watch where you're going filthy mudblood," Snape spat. He put his hands inside his robes. At once my wand was out and I was ready to fight. The amount of battles I've been in has taught me to always be ready. I could barely restrain myself from hexing him on the spot. I was well trained to deal with his sort. He had no right to call my mother that word. He's not even a teacher here! I won't let him get away with this, even if he will be a spy for the order, even if he has saved my life.

"Watch you're mouth Snape," Lily snapped back with a look of fury on her face.

"I think you need to be taught a lesson," Snape growled pulling out a bottle of potion from his robes. Instinct took hold of me, and I cursed him three times before he even had a chance to throw the potion (assuming that's what he was going to do). He fell flat to floor; the only movement was the twitching of his fingers.

"Wow, where did you learn to fight like that. I've never seen anybody curse so fast and I saw an Auror dueling demonstration once," Lily said giving me an appraising look with her intense green eyes.

"Well, I have had some private instructions, y'know, my parents," I said feeling slightly embarrassed, but pleased. It was the truth; Dumbledore and countless others had given me private instructions. Snape even gave me a few lessons. I know how he fights—dirty.

"Thanks for helping me with him. He's nasty to face in a duel. You wouldn't believe what his potions can do. Shall we leave him here like this?" she said with a mischievous glint in her brilliant greens eyes. The so-called fight against Snape had helped me earn her respect. I guess Snape could be useful.

"We can't just leave him here like this all night, can we?" I said. I suppose I'm obligated to help Snape after all he will save my life. He will do so on countless occasions, not that I don't think he's a slimy git, but I guess I owe him.  
"Prefects patrol these halls, someone will find him," Lily said, still angry with him.

"Fine by me, lets go." If it's alright with my mum, who am I to argue?

"Snape is horrible to anybody who isn't a pureblood..." Lily began. She spent a long time explaining all the horrible things he said and did. "He's always attacking me and any other muggleborns. He wasn't too bad until the end of fifth year, but since then he had been attacking me almost constantly." Then she proceeded to tell me about the house rivalry with the Slytherins and all about house points. I listened to her talk, not so much for the information, as I already knew most of it, but for the way she felt about everything. Judging by what she's said she has definitely read Hogwarts, a History. Hermione would like her. Finally, we came to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"This is the entrance to the Gryffindor tower. You will always need a password to get in. This month the password is Boggart," Lily said, back in Head Girl mode. The portrait swung open, and we walked through. It was late enough that the common room was empty nearly empty; a couple of the younger students were desperately trying to finish their homework. Nobody paid attention to me. She walked me up to the boy's dormitories and showed me my bed. None of the other seventh year's boys were there.

"Were is everybody else?" I asked looking disappointedly at the five empty beds.

"Probably wandering around the school breaking rules," Lily said in a disapproving voice. I found this funny, wishing I was with them. I didn't tell her that though.

"You should settle in while I try to find James and the rest of them to introduce all of you," Lily said. Lily walked toward the common room. I sat down on my bed and wondered which bed belonged to my father. I started emptying out my pockets wondering what I had brought with me. I had my wand, of course, and surprisingly a tiny model of my trunk. I wondered if I had shrunk my trunk so I could take it with me. But if that were the case that would mean I knew I was going to go to the past and had prepared for it... I started to examine the trunk more carefully. Just as I was reaching in my robes for my wand, Lily came back into the room.

"They're not in the common room or the other dorms and I'll never find them if they're wandering around. I'll introduce the four of them to you in the morning. Goodnight," Lily said. And with that she walked from the room.

I began to examine the minuscule trunk again. Well, there was only one way to find out if it was my trunk with all stuff in it. I muttered an enlarging charmed and my trunk grew to full size. I said the password (firebolt) and an advanced charm to unlock the trunk; it popped open. Inside were all my things. My cloths, books, the invisibility cloak, and the Marauder's map were all there.

I lay down and tried to take my mother's advice but thoughts of Lily Evans, later Lily Potter, kept filling my head. Thoughts about my father kept me awake. Thousands of thoughts were racing through my head. Why am here? How am I going to get back? What will my parent be like? I had been sent back into the past, and had no idea why or how, but somehow at that moment I didn't care. I would be seeing my dad for the first time. I will get to know my mum and have another chance to talk with Sirius. With these thoughts like these dancing through my head I finally fell asleep.


	3. Meeting Friends

1Author's Notes: I'm not sure whether I like writing in first or third person better. Tell me which one you like better. Please review I'll love you forever.

The Marauders were trying to sneak back into Gryffindor tower without being caught by Filch. This task would have been impossible if not for the Marauder's Map, which they were currently consulting.

"Alright the coast is clear. Filch is stalking around the dungeons and none of the other teachers are out. Come on," James whispered. Peter laughed nervously and the four marauders tiptoed quietly down the halls until. . .

"The map takes the adventure out of all of this. Where is the risk, the excitement, and danger?" Sirius whispered dramatically.

"Oh, be quiet Padfoot. Do you want to ruin our chance of winning the house cup? Again?" Remus chided gently. James just rolled his eyes.

"My dear Moony, I'm hurt. Are you suggesting I would jeopardize our chance to win the house cup?" Sirius joked. He then wiped away an imaginary tear. Both James and Remus rolled their eyes at this.

"I will be extra careful just for you," Sirius said in a mock serious voice. He then turned into a big black dog and ran to the corner of the hall. He looked all around and pretended to sniff the air for invisible foes. Then he stalked around the corned all the while trying to look in every direction. Peter caught on to the game and transformed into his rat form and started running down the hall like he was trying to prevent someone from following him. He would zigzag at random place and vary his speed to try and confuse anyone who would dare follow him. Remus and James were chuckling appreciatively.

"You know, I don't think Sirius will ever grow up," Remus said trying to hide his amusement.

James laughed and the two of them had to run to keep up with their friends in animal form. In no time they had reached the Fat Lady. Sirius and Peter turned back into their human form.

"Ah, that was just like the good old days. I could practically smell the adventure," Sirius sighed.

"That smell you're referring to is the smell of a sweaty dog," James teased.

"Oh yeah," Sirius said feigning anger. He then lunged at James in a not-so- sneaky sneak attack. James stepped to the side and Sirius crashed to the floor.

"Ouch, that hurt, Padfoot," Sirius whined.

"Calm down the two of you, we don't want to wake up the whole Gryffindor tower," said Remus. Peter looked around nervously.

"Yeah, can you imagine the look on Lily's face if she found us here," James said.

"Awww, are you afraid of your girlfriend," Sirius teased and stood up.  
"No, of coarse not, but I am going to make sure we don't run into anybody on the way up to our dormitory." James began examining the Marauder's Map. James's face scrunched up in confusion he asked, "Sirius what did you do to the map?"

"Huh? Nothing, why is something wrong?" Sirius asked curiously. Remus and Peter gathered around to get a closer look.

"It says there's a 'Harry Potter' up in our dormitory. I don't have any relatives named Harry. Well, that I know of," James stated. Remus started muttering spells to see if the map was malfunctioning or if Sirius had made any "modifications" to it.

"I don't see anything wrong with it, although it could be a Preconfusionisim charm. But I bet Padfoot hasn't even heard of that charm, have you?" said Remus.

"Nope," said Sirius.

"Er, shall we go see who this 'Harry Potter' is?" James suggested. If Sirius said he didn't do anything to the map, James believed him. Marauders's never lied to each other.

"You don't think he might be dangerous, do you?" Peter asked trying not to look too concerned. Sirius rolled his eyes, annoyed. Nobody bothered to answer him. They walked in through the portrait and up to the seventh year dormitory. There was an extra bed between Sirius's bed and Remus's bed. There was a boy about seventeen years old sleeping on it.

"Who do you think he is?" whispered Peter.

"Don't be stupid Wormtail, this must be Harry," Sirius said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Remus took out his wand and lit it. The light revealed a skinny boy with light brown messy hair. He looked surprisingly average.

"Let's wake him up," whispered Sirius excitedly.

"Nah, how would you like to get woken up in the middle of the night," said Remus.

"But I want to know who he is," Sirius whined looking around at everyone with puppy dog eyes.

"I hate to say it, but I think we should wait until morning to talk to him. No sense in getting him on our bad side," James said. Remus looked surprised at James maturity, Sirius looked sulky, and Peter kept quiet as usual.

"Awww, fine, but I wanna know why he's here. I've never seen him before," said Sirius.

I woke up the moment they started to walk up to the dormitory. I've been an extremely light sleeper ever since Dumbledore put me through extra "training." I tried to keep still and look like I was asleep when they were watching me. I'm not sure why I pretended to be asleep, but I don't know if I'm ready to face them yet. Seeing my mum was hard enough, but this isn't only my dad, this is Sirius the man who died for me, this is Remus one of the few people who understand me, this is Wormtail. Wormtail. The man who betrayed my parents. The man who brought back Voldemort. The man who ruined my life. The first man I killed. I'll face them in the morning; maybe it will be easier to face them when they're tired. I don't think Sirius was ever a morning person, not that I ever had the chance to find out. I tried to get back to sleep.

Sirius was studying Harry very intently, much too curious to go to sleep, and despite ignoring Peter's fears he was a little cautious about the stranger in their dorm. The way Harry was laying Sirius could just barely see Harry's face. Remus started snoring softly an indication he had fallen asleep. Out of the four Marauders, Remus was the morning person. He was the first to go to sleep and the first to wake.

"Hey, Sirius, are you really going to go to sleep with a stranger in our dorm," Peter asked.

"Sirius leave the kid alone, get out of his four poster, and shut his curtain," James said uncharacteristically stern.

"Awww, come on James I promise I won't wake him up just let me get a closer look," Sirius said. Peter got up from his bed and walked over to Sirius who was right in front of Harry's bed. James knowing he was never going to get any sleep before Sirius's curiosity was satisfied got up from his bed too.

"Maybe we could open up his trunk try and find some information," Peter suggested.

"Yes, let's look through all his stuff," Sirius said sarcastically. Peter missed the sarcasm and muttered a standard unlocking spell (Alohomora). Instead of the trunk popping open, it started spitting black liquid all over Peter and hissing.

"What happened?" shrieked Peter.

"Trinitrite. Stay out of my stuff," I said coldly. My parents were fools not to realize Wormtail was a spy. He was willing to search through a complete stranger's trunk and they didn't realize he had spying tendencies.

"Hey, you're awake," Sirius exclaimed excited. I glared at everyone in the room. I couldn't do this.

"Sorry about them, I tried to get them to leave you alone," James sighed, but not looking too unhappy with the turn of events.

"Don't worry about it. And you might want to wash that liquid off. It's designed to stain the skin, that way if anyone tries to break into my trunk I'll know who it was," I stated. Peter excused himself and ran off to the bathroom.

"My name is Sirius Black, that was Peter Pettigrew, and this is James Potter. Who are you? And why are you here?" Sirius said in one breathe. He was obviously dying to know more about me.

"And I'm Remus Lupin," Remus said. The commotion must have woken him up.

"I'm Harry. Harry. . . Smith and I used to be home schooled but my parents decided to let me come to Hogwarts this year. So that's why I'm here," I said. Great the only time I'm ever going to get to talk to my dad I'm going to lie the whole time.

"You were home schooled? That must have been awful. If I didn't have a chance to get away from my parents and brother I'd go insane," Sirius proclaimed. I glanced at James and couldn't think of anything to say. I couldn't announce the truth.

"You have a lot of catching up to do. You've missed out on years of pranking. We'll have to help you catch up," Sirius said.

"Er, yeah." Catch up, I thought. I have more to catch up on than they could ever imagine.

"Maybe, he's not into pranks. He could be studious," Remus said hopefully. This was all very overwhelming. Yesterday Sirius, Peter, and James were dead and now I'm having a conversation with them. I ran my hands through my hair trying to wake up and get a handle on the situation.

"Wicked scar, how did it happen?" James asked.

"What?" I asked. Dumbledore must not have disguised my scar. I was so distracted I never got around to looking in a mirror.

"The one on your forehead that looks like a lightning bolt," Sirius said.

"Um, well, you see, when I was little I was attacked by a dark wizard. I've had the scar ever since." That's true I just didn't say which dark wizard gave me my scar. Peter walked back into the room his face stained in ink.

"It won't come off. Do you have a potion to remove it?" Peter whined.

"No," I said glaring at him. "Do you normally break into strangers trunks?" I snapped.

"Erm, well you see, the thing is I was-"

"Don't bother, I know you were just curious, no need to start off on the wrong foot," I said trying to keep the coldness out of my voice.

"So tell me, do you like Quidditch? Of course you do. What's your favorite team and do you play?" Sirius was brimming with curiosity. I laughed; it was good to see Sirius so healthy.  
"Yes, I love Quidditch, um my favorite team is the Chudley Cannons, and I do play Quidditch, but I haven't played much since I was thirteen," I answered.

"You like the Chudley Cannons!" James exclaimed.

"Why don't you play Quidditch any more?" Sirius asked.

"I've been. . . rather busy with other. . . stuff since then and if you do mind, could we finish this conversation over breakfast because I'm dead tired?"

"Yes, don't worry Sirius and Peter will let you get some sleep. Won't they?" James prompted.

"Um, yeah, goodnight," said Sirius looking very disappointed. The four Marauders left Harry and went to their own beds.

It wasn't easy falling asleep a second time that night. Images kept running through my head. The look on James's face when I said I liked the Chudley Cannons. Peter covered in ink. Peter trying to break into my trunk. The look of shock on Peter's face as I killed him. Sirius asking me about Quidditch. Sirius falling. . . Sirius falling beyond the black veil. . .


	4. Defense Against the Dark Arts

1DISCLAMER: I do not own this.

AUTHOR NOTES: Sorry it took so long to up-date. I'll be faster next time. Please review I'll love you forever. I didn't want to create my own Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher because I never like OC DADA teachers. The DADA teacher will have no significant part in the plot. I just used this person because it was convenient. Enjoy.

"Why do you think he lied about his name?" Sirius whispered to James.

"I don't know, maybe something's wrong with the map," James suggested.

"I don't think that's likely," Remus cut in. "Maybe, his last name used to be 'Potter' and it was changed or something."

"Why would anybody change their last name?" Sirius asked.

"No idea."

"I think we should keep an eye on him," Peter suggested nervously.

"I agree. A seventeen year old wizard doesn't appear out of thin air. I think he's lying and we better make sure he isn't up to anything," James stated.

"We'd better be quiet; Harry will be coming out of the bathroom any minute, we don't want him to hear us," Remus said. Just seconds after Remus stopped talking Harry walked out of the bathroom yawning.

"Morning," Harry greeted and tried to stifle another yawn. He didn't get much sleep the night before. He often had nightmares about the final battle.

"Let's go down to breakfast. I'm starving," Sirius said.

"Oh, I have t'go to Professor Dumbledore's office to pick up my timetables and I think he wants to talk to me about something," Harry shrugged.

"Need help finding his office?" James asked.

"Er, yeah, he told me the password..."

The Marauders and Harry walked towards Dumbledore's office finishing their conversation about Quidditch from the night before. Just when Peter and Remus started arguing about the merit of a cleansweep over a shootingstar they reached Dumbledore's office.

"Thanks for showing me the way," Harry said awkwardly. He had the distinct impression that they had been looking at him more than natural. But then again that was hardly unusual for Harry. The Marauders left giving Harry a couple more curious glances. Harry muttered the password ("Mars Bars") and entered Dumbledore's office. His office's décor was very different from how Harry remembered it. It was still full of fascinating items. An octagonal hour glass caught Harry's eyes when, suddenly, he realized Dumbledore was giving him a penetrating stare. Their eyes meet and Harry didn't see the usual twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes, but the moment passed and Dumbledore cracked a smile.

"Tootsies Pop?" Dumbledore offered.

"Huh? Are you out of Lemon Drops?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Lemon Drops? I don't believe I've ever heard of those. Good—are they?" Harry nodded his head, felt his way over to the chair in front of Dumbledore desk and sat down. He felt oddly numb. As strange as is seemed, it finally hit home—he was in the past. This wasn't some dream about meeting his long-dead parents; this was real. Of all the things in the world that never changed was Dumbledore's love of Lemon Drops. Harry was suddenly quite worried he couldn't handle this after all.

"Sir, do you know how to send me back?" Harry asked abruptly.

"No, Harry I haven't had much time to research it, but I will let you know as soon as I can. If you don't mind, could I ask you some questions?" Harry nodded politely, but he knew whether he wanted to answer the questions or not he would. "Do you have any idea why you were sent here?"

"Er, no, Sir"

"Do you have any enemies who might have sent you here to get rid of you?" Dumbledore said with concern. At this Harry out right laughed. The idea was ludicrous. Dumbledore was actually asking him if he had enemies. The more Harry thought about it the funnier it seem. Soon Harry was laughing so hard tears were streaming from his eyes.

Wiping the tears from his eyes he burst out, "Oh course I do, er, sorry Professor..." If Dumbledore was surprised by Harry's behavior nobody could tell.

"It would be helpful if you told me who they are," Dumbledore prompted.

"Do you want a list? Should I tell you the names of the people who have actively tried to kill me, the people who just want me dead, or people who dislike me?" Harry said with dark humor.

"How about the people you think would most likely do this to you?"

"Malfoy, Nott, Blaise...Belatrix, no she's dead. I'd say those are the three most likely candidates."

"And why, child, would they want to kill you?" Dumbledore coaxed. Harry snorted, thinking that very obvious.

"For the sake of the future I'm not going to go into detail, but I'll tell you this, we found ourselves on opposite sides of a war. I've earned enemies, by more than birth right," Harry spat the last sentence angrily. Dumbledore gave Harry an appraising look his blue eyes piercing into Harry.  
"You're so young though. Surely the future isn't so bad that even children are forced to fight in wars?" Dumbledore looked troubled by this thought.

"Dumbledore—"

"No Harry you can't tell me what the future holds, time travel is a very dangerous type of magic." Harry was longing to tell Dumbledore it would be alright. Voldemort would be defeated. Everything would be alright. No, not everything Harry thought bitterly.

Harry's green eyes locked with Dumbledore's blue's eyes. Dumbledore recognized the pain in Harry's eye's and it struck him how mature he seemed for a seventeen year old. And then Dumbledore subtly pushed into Harry's mind. Harry recognized Dumbledore was using Legilimency. Harry knew from a year of training with Snape that Dumbledore was only trying to find out surface information. Harry didn't try to resist; Dumbledore was simply trying to discover if he should trust Harry. He didn't want specific information; he wouldn't risk learning to much about the future. The moment lasted for about a second but it felt longer.

"So what classes are you taking?" Dumbledore's sudden change of topic startled Harry. Harry realized Dumbledore must have decided he was trustworthy.

"Um, well, last year I took Care of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and er, Potions and Divination." Harry had been deeply upset when Dumbledore forced Snape to except him in to his advanced Potions class and then "asked" Harry to take the class. Dumbledore had also insisted Harry stay in Divination although Harry had no idea why.

Dumbledore drew up a timetable, literally, with his wand and handed it to Harry. Harry groaned.

"You know, I wouldn't mind dropping Potions," Harry said hopefully. Dumbledore just smiled, his eyes twinkling.

The Marauders were half-way through their breakfast when Harry went down to the Great Hall. Harry greeted them, sat down, and started wolfing down food. He felt like it had been a month since he last ate. Just after he finished his second piece of toast Lily Evans entered the Great Hall and walked towards Harry.

"Good morning, Harry. So, how do you like Hogwarts so far?" Lily asked as she sat down next to James and across from Harry.

"Er, well, I haven't seen much of it, but so far I love it," Harry answered.

"I bet it's better than being home schooled," Sirius said. "What classes do you have today?"

"Um, I have Defense Against the Dark Arts, Care of Magical Creatures, and, urg, Double Potions," Harry said.  
"You're in Potions, this is great! I was the only Gryffindor to get accepted into the NEWT level class. I won't have to be partners with Slytherins anymore," Lily exclaimed.

"I hate Potions," Harry mumbled. He thought he wouldn't have to take Potions now that Voldemort had been defeated, but the Dumbledore of this time hadn't let him drop it.

"We all have Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Care of Magical Creatures together," said James. He then explained that none of the Marauders had their third class of the day together. Sirius was in Muggle Studies (mostly to spite his family), Lupin was in Arithmancy. James was in Healing Studies (a class not offered until seventh year), and Peter was in Ancient Ruins Study.

Just like in Harry's time the mail arrived by owls. Thousands of owls started swooping down to the tables, dropping off letters and hoping for a treat. Lily was the only one to receive mail. She got one letter from her family and one from the Daily Prophet. Harry looked up in habit for Hedwig even though he know nobody would be sending him mail in this time.

"Do you get lots of mail from your family?" Harry asked curiously.

"Yes, my parents feel it's important that I'm included in the family even though I'm a witch," Lily said.

"You're lucky...you know," Harry mumbled surprised that Lily's parents were so involved with her. Harry wondered what happened to them. Petunia never told Harry anything about his grandparents. Remus cut into his thoughts.

"Somebody broke into the Department of Mysteries." Remus announced looking at the Daily Prophet. The group crowded around the article. They all began to read the article.

The Department of Mysteries under Attack by Unknown Persons  
By: Seamus Lovingburg

Late last night three unidentified people broke into the Department of Mysteries. Aurors at this very moment are investigating to find out who committed this crime. Aurors admit there are several missing items. However, they stress, people should not panic. All the missing artifacts having locating spells on them and should be tracked down quickly. There is some speculation as to whether this is another of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named plots to gain power. At this time there is no evidence that He is involved. Alastor Moody said, "We aurors take this very seriously. We won't stop investigating 'til we find out who is behind this. The death eaters responsible will be caught." Even though there isn't any proof death eaters are responsible, most aurors believe they are the ones who broke in. And let's face it—Who else would break into the Department of Mysteries? Nothing more is known about the break-in at this time.

"You don't think it has anything to do with Voldemort, do you?" Lily asked; Peter, still covered in ink, squeaked at the sound of Voldemort's name.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it does," James said seriously. He squeezed Lily's hand comfortingly. Harry didn't notice. Anger was rising in Harry. He had just killed Voldemort in his own time and now he had to deal with him here. Harry felt he would never escape Voldemort. Couldn't he go one year without a confrontation?

"There's no point in worrying about it. There's nothing we can do about it," Sirius said obviously pretending the news didn't disturb him. For the rest of the breakfast they were oddly quiet, except when Sirius would joke loudly trying to cheer the rest of them up.

Harry was deep in thought. He wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad. It was a nice not being "The-Boy-Who-Lived." Everybody didn't expect him to jump up and solve every problem. And Harry didn't want to get anywhere near the Department of Mysteries again. Harry had been there a total of three times. The first was when Sirius had fallen beyond the black veil (Harry tried to avoid thinking about that).

The second was during the final battle. The time he managed to defeat Voldemort for good. It was ancient magic that saved Harry from being killed by Voldemort the first time they met and it was ancient magic that let Harry kill Voldemort for a final time. But Harry didn't like to think about this either. And the third time Harry was there...well, Harry definitely didn't think about that. Ever.

Harry still had trouble believing Voldemort was dead. He had fulfilled the Prophecy. Harry thought he would finally have a normal life. Harry expected to have a normal seventh year. No more prophecy to worry about, no more Voldemort. Seventh year classes hadn't even started when Harry was pulled back in time. He was happy (sort of) to be meeting his parents, but a part of him was angry. His seventh year was supposed to be normal and Voldemort free. Here, in 1977 he had his parents, but the threat of Voldemort was here. Harry decided not to think about it. There wasn't anything he could do about it anyways, and the best part was nobody expected him to do anything about it.

The group of them finished breakfast and got up to go to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry wonder if their Defense teachers ever lasted more than a year.

"What's the Defense teacher like," Harry asked.

"Don't know he's new this year. Our Defense teachers never last long," James answered.

"His name is Professor Quirrell and he is supposed to be very well educated," Lily informed the group. Harry couldn't believe his ears; this was too much. Not only was Voldemort thriving in this time he was going to have to face Quirrell. How was this possible, he wondered? How would he be able to behave? Quirrell was his teacher. Quirrell had tried to kill him and now he was going to have to be a good little student in his class. Harry suddenly felt like he couldn't do this. He felt tired and anger, nothing was ever fair in his life. He was supposed to be getting the chance to meet his parents, not worrying about Voldemort and past teachers that tried to kill him.

"Don't be worried," Lily said. "We'll make sure your first day goes smoothly." She had no idea how hard that would be. They continued walking toward the class room. By an unspoken agreement none of them talked about the article. Harry gathered that at this time articles like today's weren't all that uncommon, yet they were still disturbing. Harry was slightly unnerved by the thought. Sirius and James were talking about Quidditch and Lily and Remus were talking about Transfiguration. Peter attempted to make small talk with Harry, but Harry brushed off all of Peter's attempts. He knew that Peter was just trying to get close so Harry would give him the Potion to get the ink off his face.

Harry was deep in thought about Quirrell. He finally came to a conclusion. Harry had heard that Quirrell had taught for a couple of years and then took a leave of absence to get practical experience. Quirrell must have taught here for some time and then left for the experience. He then returned in time to teach Harry for his first year. Harry wasn't sure but it was the best explanation he could come up with.

The six of them reached the class room with a couple minutes to spare. James sat down next to Lily and whispered something in here ear; she laughed. Harry sat down next to Remus and to Harry's horror Peter sat down next to Harry. This greatly annoyed Harry. He was already upset about Quirrell and Voldemort and now Wormtail decided to pester him.

"I'm really sorry about breaking into you trunk," Peter whined. You're only sorry because you were caught, Harry thought bitterly.

"I'm sure you are. I wouldn't want to walk around with an ink stained face either," Harry responded coldly. Harry knew he shouldn't be so mean to Peter, but everything was becoming too much for him: Voldemort, Quirrell, his parents. Peter still couldn't get the ink off his face. Even though all the Gryffindors ignored it Peter was embarrassed.

"Are you sure you can't do anything to get the ink off," Peter said desperately. They were plenty of things Harry could think of to help; a simple glamour charm would cover it up. But then again there were plenty of things Peter could have done to stop Lily and James's deaths. Harry was losing a battle with his temper.

"Well, I could burn off your skin. It wouldn't be stained anymore, now would it?" Harry said his voice rising. Harry took a deep breathe and counted to ten inside his head. Harry thought why won't he leave me alone? Peter squeaked. Why can't that traitorous rat leave me alone? Harry had spoken loud enough that everybody in the room heard him.

"Harry don't threaten my friend," Sirius said angrily. This really ignited Harry's anger. Sirius, his godfather, was angry at him, because he wasn't being nice to the treacherous rat.

"Oh, of course, the spy can't stand up for himself. That's why he clings to you—for protection. You know when he finds somebody more powerful than you he'll follow him around, like the rat he is," Harry hissed, his anger getting the best of him. Peter squeaked, stood up and started backing away. Harry was angry and power was radiating off of him. In Harry's time he was the one of the most powerful wizards, second only to Dumbledore. In the final battle with Voldemort Harry had unleashed power nobody knew he had. And right now Harry was practically glowing with anger and power.

"Calm down Harry. You're scaring us," Lily said trying to defuse the situation.

"Er, sorry," Harry muttered his eyes blazing in anger. Harry started to count to ten again and concentrate on his breathing. Harry wished he could have kept his temper under control, but making small talk with the man who murdered his parents was beyond him.

"Um, look I'm sorry about the trunk thing, really," Peter whimpered. At that moment Professor Quirrell walked into the room and started talking to them oblivious to the heated situation. The Marauders were giving Harry nervous looks, but thankful for the teachers presence. 

"I'm Professor Quirrell," he introduced himself. "It's nice to see students so eager to learn." This Quirrell was so different from the Quirrell in Harry's time he wouldn't even have thought they were the same person. This Quirrell had no turban and had no stutter. This was Quirrell before he had meet Voldemort.

James introduced the six of them, hesitating when he introduced Harry. Harry was still livid. When Harry got like this only Hermione could calm him down. If anybody thought Harry had a bad temper before Sirius died is was nothing compared to after. By the time they were finished introducing themselves most of the class had came in. Quirrell started teaching. Harry was still seething with anger.

"Hello, I would like to introduce myself to the class. I am Professor Quirrell. I have had much professional training and am more than qualified to teach this class. Today I will be teaching you about some useful spell you can use in dueling. I will be starting out with some simple defensive spells. Copy down the notes on the board while I explain them..."

Harry wasn't listening. He had been getting private defense lessons from aurors since the summer after Sirius's death. After the Ministry accepted Voldemort was alive the officials wanted to train Harry as much as possible. They wanted their savior prepared Harry thought bitterly. Harry still spent the summer with his aunt and uncle, but seven days a week fully trained wizards were tutoring Harry. As a result Harry was unbeatable in a duel, knew more charms than Hermione, and could practically brew useful potions in his sleep. Harry wasn't about to listen to Quirrell, an idiot in his opinion.

Remus nudged Harry tentatively. "You might want to take notes. I don't know how things were when you were home schooled, but here you pry want to," Remus whispered.

Harry took out a piece a parchment and his quill with the intention of taking notes. Harry figured he had already made the Marauders mad enough. He felt he could at least try to make Remus happy. After about a minute of copying down notes on a standard stunning charm (the one Hermione used on Neville their first year at Hogwarts), Harry started to draw Quirrell wearing a turban. Harry's anger slowly turned into embarrassment about how he acted in front of his parents.

Peter was still nervously glancing at Harry wishing desperately he hadn't sat down next to him. Remus rolled his eyes, annoyed at Harry's lack of interest in the class. Even through Remus had already learned the spells he was too studious not to try and pay attention.

James slipped Remus a note. It read: Something isn't right about him. He got way too upset with Peter. We better keep an eye on him. Let's sneak out at midnight to figure out what were going to do about him. Meet in the Shrieking Shack. Prongs. Remus wrote back a note of agreement.  
The lesion continued, Sirius and James started whispering about Quidditch, Remus pulled out a book on dark creatures and started reading. Harry continued to draw while Peter fidgeted. Finally the class was let out. Harry was still irritated and wanted to get away from the Marauders and Lily. He grabbed his stuff and started to head to Care of Magically Creatures. Just before Harry reached the first stair case he realized the class probably wasn't in front of Hagrid's hut and he wasn't supposed to know where it was. Harry headed back toward the Marauders and Lily,

They were talking in a too causal way. None of them wanted to make Harry angry before they knew more about him.

"So Harry we never did get to talk about Quiddicth. Why did you stop playing after you were 13?" James asked cautiously.

"Well, when I was 14 I, er, went to study dragons and was just too busy, when I was 15 my parents grounded me for lying to them, and I just... did a lot of training when I was 16 and didn't really have the chance," Harry answered. Harry felt his answer was near the truth. He had to get past a dragon in the Triwizard Tournament. He was expelled from Quidditch during his 5th year and he was so busy with Voldemort during is 6th he didn't have time.

"You're parents grounded you from flying for a whole year," Sirius exclaimed, forgetting he was angry with Harry for threatening Peter.

"Well it wasn't the whole year, just most of it," Harry answered awkwardly. He was going to have trouble getting used to lying.

"No wonder you weren't close to your parents," Lily said. The six of them continued to make small talk as they walked to Care of Magically Creatures.

Harry started to get the feeling that something was wrong. The stairs seemed to creak with every step he took. Everything seemed louder than normal. Lily's voice rang eerily through the halls.

"All you boys every do is talk about Quidditch..."

Harry started to rub his temples, trying to concentrate. His head throbbed. Suddenly he felt an all too familiar sensation; one he hadn't felt since he killed Voldemort. He scar was on fire. He could feel Voldemort was very, very happy about something.


	5. Visions

1DISCLAMER: I do not own this.

Author Notes: I hope you like this chapter. I tried to update as fast as I could. Thanks to everybody who reviewed I couldn't do it with out you. Please keep reviewing I'll love you forever.

"I have it my lord."

"You have done well. Bring it to me. You will be greatly rewarded for this. Whatever you desire shall be yours," Voldemort said lazily. A man wearing the black robes of a Death Eater approached. He handed Voldemort an old tattered book. The cover was faded blood red with an ebony title, Le Viel Noir Vivre Mourir. Voldemort seized the book and ran his hands over it, stroking it. The Death Eater bowed and started to walk away, his eyes down cast. "I do not believe I dismissed you. Give me your arm."

"Y-yes, my lord," came the nervous reply.

"You don't need to fear. I'm a pleased with you. Today." Voldemort reached out and pulled the man's sleeve up, revealing the dark mark. The Death Eater flinched in anticipation. Voldemort smirked and pressed his hand down on the dark mark until it burned black.

"I have summoned the Inner Circle. We have this to celebrate," Voldemort said as he held up the book. All around Death Eater appeared out of thin air. They quickly formed a circle with Voldemort at the center. Anticipation was thick in the air.

"My loyal followers, you have done well. The attack on the Department of Mysteries was more successful than I ever could have hoped. Young Malfoy here has brought me a book that may very well be the key to eternal life. He shall be rewarded accordingly, as all of you will be. Everything else we acquired is nothing to this. This book," Voldemort raised it in the air, "is the key to our victory over all of the impure. Today we will celebrate. Let the entertainment begin." Voldemort snapped his fingers and a family of muggles materialized.

"Crucio," Voldemort whispered lazily. A little boy no older than five began to whither on the ground. Voldemort could be heard chuckling even as the boy screamed.

"Er, Harry, are you alright?" Remus asked just before Harry fainted.

"Peter, Moony go get Madame Pomfrey and tell her what happened," James directed. Without question Remus and Peter ran toward the Hospital Wing. James began to mutter a spell to check Harry's vital signs.

"Why don't you levitate him to the hospital wing?" Sirius said annoyed.

"I could, but we don't know why he fainted. It might be dangerous to try and move him. You see," he said to Lily, "I checked Harry's brain activity level and it—" Sirius let out a cough that sounded like 'showoff'. Lily rolled her eyes in agreement with Sirius.  
"As much as I hate to agree with Sirius, stop showing off and figure out what's wrong with him," Lily said sternly, but with amusement dancing in her eyes.

"Lily, how do you put up with this arrogant, arrogant, man?" Sirius joked, patting James on the back. James ran his hands through his hair messing it up.

"Oh, he's easier to control this way," Lily joked back with a smile.

After a few minutes of investigation James decided there was nothing wrong with him. "This is really unusually. He seems like he's in perfect health. His levels of brain activity are higher than normal but that wouldn't cause him to pass out."

Lily put her hands on James's shoulders and asked, "What do you thinks wrong with him?"

"I don't know, but I hope they hurry up with Pomfery. Good thing Moony went, with the way Peter feels about Harry he might get 'lost' on the way," James muttered darkly.

Harry bolted upright gasping for breath. "Whatsgoingon?"

"Slow down. Are you alright? Look at me in the eye," James said.

"What! Why?" Harry said, looking down immediately. He knew eye contact was required in order for a person to perform Legilimency. He automatically started clearing his mind trying to protect his mind with Occlumency. After years of constant threats, Harry became a bit paranoid.

"I need to see if you have a concussion. You just fainted," James replied. "Lily, Sirius you get to class. We'll be alright."

"You sure James? I don't want to miss the excitement. Strangers fainting, mysterious diseases," Sirius said a voice meaning he felt this was too interesting to miss.

"Fine, I could use the help," James said rolling his eyes.

"That's right. You may be in Healing Studies, but you still need me, I am always needed," Sirius said with play arrogance.

"Hey, I'm fine. Really this happens from time to time. I just forgot to take my potion. I get really bad...dizzy spells...when they hit me they knock me off my feet. You guys can go, really," Harry unsuccessfully tried to persuade them. "The potion I need is just up in my trunk, if you let me go get it I'll be fine." Harry had been taking a potion since the end of his fifth year to suppress the bond between him and Voldemort. He eventually learned Occlumency, but it took too much concentration to continually do it. Snape suggested they use an encubra potion to hinder the connection. Even through Voldemort had been killed nearly a month ago (Harry's time) he still kept a vial of the potion in his trunk, just in case.

"We're not leaving you until Madame Pomfery gets here," James informed him.  
"That's right. You heard him," Sirius said.

"Well, if you two have it covered I think I'll head to class. We're covering Hippogriffs today and I'd rather not miss them." Lily gave James a hug and left. Harry stared at them in surprise.

"And that's why she's the Head Girl, no sense of fun what so ever," Sirius muttered.

"What's that?" James asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Sirius responded quickly.

"No, that," James said pointing at Harry's ankle with an odd look on his face. Sirius burst out laughing. Harry pulled his knees up to his chest in reflex, which just caused James to start laughing when he got a good look at Harry's ankles. Cautiously Harry look down not knowing what to expect. He then realized he was wearing socks Dobby had given him. His left sock had a picture of a Slytherin riding on a broom with the end on fire. At random intervals the person would chase the end of their broom in circles to put the fire out and end up catching themselves on fires. Harry let out a sigh of relief and chuckled.

"A friend of mine made me these socks and is convinced their lucky. I always wear them when I'm nervous," Harry explained. In fact, Harry wore them when he defeated Voldemort, killed Wormtail, and befriended a Sphinx.

"Why were you nervous?"

"Er, just so many new people, a new school, you know. I figured I could use the, er, luck," Harry mumbled.

"I certainly wouldn't call them lucky. Unless you think fainting and threatening our friends is lucky," Sirius said with more humor in his voice than anger. As upset as Harry was about the vision, he knew he didn't want Sirius angry with him the whole time and decided his Sirius was in a good mood he would take advantage of it. Harry mentally gritted his teeth and determined what he had to do.

"I'm sorry that I lost my temper with P-Peter. I've never had anybody invade my privacy like that. No siblings or anything," Harry forced the words out of his mouth. "I didn't mean anything by that threat." Harry saw James and Sirius exchange a dark look. Harry knew he hadn't convinced them. "I'll...I'll give him the potion to get the ink off his face. I can be a bit judgmental a times. I'm going to spend they whole year with him and don't want to get off on the wrong foot." James looked convinced, but Sirius was still slightly suspicious.

"It's alright," James said. "Peter can be a bit annoying at times, but once you get used to him he's a good person, a good friend." Harry looked down and counted to ten in his head, concentrating on his breathing.

"What's the matter?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Just a little dizzy, that's all," Harry lied. Before anybody could say anything else Remus and Madame Pomfery turned the corner and she started questioning them.

"What happened?"

"I got really dizzy and fainted. It happens from time to time that's one of the reasons my parents were afraid to send me to Hogwarts," Harry said, giving Pomfery a meaning full look. James missed the look; Sirius didn't.

"James, did you take any of his readings?" Pomfery asked James as she herself began to cast tests to test for life signs.

"Yes, everything was normal except brain activity. The Cerveau test came up with a red aura, but I'm not sure why."

"Very good, James, you, Black, Lupin, should get to class. I'll take care of Mr. Smith." Sirius protested she might need help transporting Harry to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfery ushered them along ignoring Sirius.

"Now, Mr. Smith would you explain what is going on?" Pomfery said firmly.

"Yes, but this might be better explained in private," Harry responded.

"You will be able to walk, won't you?" Pomfery said sternly, but with hints of her usual concern.

"Of course, but this is, er, something only Dumbledore should know. He told me not to tell anybody anything."

"Of course, but since you did faint, you will wait in the Hospital Wing until he can talk to you." She pulled out some chocolate from her pocked and handed it to Harry. They began to walk towards the Hospital Wing in silence.

"Sorry we're later Professor, the new kid fainted," James explained.

"Nothing to worry about, you won't actually be meeting the Hippogriffs until the next lessons, just copy the notes down from somebody," Professor Kettleburn said. Sirius, Remus, and James sat down next to Lily and Peter. Remus began copying Lily's notes while listening to Kettleburn. James and Sirius, however, weren't ready to start the lesson.

"Peter, how did you get here?" Sirius whispered.

"Well, umm, it doesn't take two people to get the nurse, so I, umm, just went straight to class," Peter said nervously. Sirius rolled his eyes and just as he was about to retort—

"Please, Peter try to pay attention," Kettleburn admonished gently. They settled down and began to take notes on Hippogriffs.  
That lasted for about five minutes; they began to pass notes.

----What happened? Do you know if he will be alright? –Moony

----He said he'd be fine. Had a dizzy spell and fainted. Said it happened before. We should ask him more about it.—Prongs

----Something seems suspicious about him we should keep an eye on him –Padfoot

"Boys, hippogriffs are dangerous; if you don't know how to behave around them you could be hurt. It's dangerous to look some animals in the eye, yet some are insulted if you don't. Should you look a hippogriff in the eye?" said Kettleburn. "Black?"

Sirius decided to take a guess. A hippogriff was part horse and horses are like cows, which are like bulls and he definitely wouldn't look them in the eye so... "Profession, you never look a hippogriff in the eye," Sirius said confidently. Some of the girls giggled; Sirius grinned back at them.

"Not looking in a hippogriffs eye is a sign of disrespect. You would likely be attacked if you approached one without meeting its eye," Kettleburn informed.

"Some stupid half-bird horse thing? I'm up for a challenge," Sirius joked.

Finally annoyed Kettlebrun said, "Please take this class seriously. If I had known how to approach hippogriffs I might not have lost my left leg." The class exchanged glances, but it wasn't enough to encourage Sirius to listen. The class was held outside so they could have animals in it. However, Sirius began to pull grass out of the ground and spelled out "I'm bored" with it. He poked James and pointed to his messaged. James chuckled, pulled out his wand and started to levitate the grass over a Slytherin girl's head.

"What are you doing?" Kettleburn groaned. This proved enough of a distraction to cause James to drop all the grass on the girls head.

"Opps," James said, running his hand through his hair. The girl started shrieking. James glanced nervously at Lily and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drop it."

"James Potter, will you never grow up?" Lily said very annoyed and Sirius started laughing. The Slytherin girl started shrieking even louder.

"THERE WERE ANTS ON THAT GRASS. I'M COVERED IN ANTS." With that she started itching herself all over furiously. The harder she itched, the harder Sirius laughed. Remus looked annoyed and picked up a book to read; Peter was nervous and glanced all around.

"Potter, Black, Pettigrew –detention, all of you, and twenty points from Gryffindor," Kettleburn said.

"What did I do?" Peter whined.  
"I know you were involved in this. You always are and if I hear one more word from you three, I'll take fifty more points." James and Sirius never behaved in Kettleburn's class. Peter was normally in on the joke, but more cautious so not as easily caught. The Marauders finally settled down for the rest of the class. But not before Sirius ascertained it was Peter who put the itching hex on the girl.

"Madame Pomfery informed me you were feeling ill," Dumbledore said, with a twinkle in this eye. "Do you have something you need to tell me? Anything at all?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"Er, Professor, I-I'm not sure it's a good idea to tell you. I—what happens in the future... look I have these visions from time to time and I don't think it's a good idea for you to know about them until the proper time," Harry said. Dumbledore gave Harry a serious look.

"I shall of course trust your judgment in this mater. However, should you feel the need to talk I will be available." Harry nodded in relief. They were still in the Hospital Wing but Dumbledore had put up a Silencing Charm so nobody could eavesdrop. "Since this wasn't a 'dizzy spell' I trust you won't need any medical attention. I'm still running tests to find out why you are here. You haven't been sent by any of the obvious time travel methods, dark or light, so it might be a couple of weeks before I am able to determine anything."

"Professor, I have a potion up in my trunk which helps stop the visions. I was wondering if I could go get it?" Harry asked.

"Oh course Harry, and I have a game of chess I need to attend. Young Professor McGonagall might be tempted to cheat if I leave her alone with the board for too long," Dumbledore said with a smile. Harry smiled back. Even twenty years younger Dumbledore was still Dumbledore. He stood up and Dumbledore watched him leave the Hospital Wing.

"I wonder why this child wants to stop his visions," Dumbledore murmured to himself. "Visions are a rare gift indeed; Harry Potter certainly isn't as ordinary as he pretends to be."

More author notes: I'm not positive on the time line of Harry Potter but I think this is how it goes: Tom Riddle went to school when Dippet is headmaster. In Riddles diary Dippet is headmaster. The Marauders went to school when Dumbledore is headmaster (he let Lupin go even though he is a werewolf). I'm pretty sure Tom Riddle and the Marauders didn't go to school at the same time and for the sake of this story's plot Voldemort is already powerful and has lots of followers. I hope that helps with the timeline. A special thanks to everyone who reviewed. hugs for everybody who reviewed.


	6. Potions

1Before the Marauders had a chance to leave Care of Magical Creatures, Lily started yelling at James.

"James I don't know why you insist on being such a—"

"Handsome devil," James said finishing Lily's sentence.

"---such a complete jerk. It's not like Jezebel Parkinson ever did anything, Lily finished angrily. "It's one thing to defend me from Snape, but what did she ever do to you?" Lily's eyes were blazing.

"Er, look Lily, don't be mad. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to drop the grass on her head; really. Professor Kettleburn just distracted me and I dropped the grass. It was an accident," he said the last part looking straight into her eyes and smiling as sincerely as he could.

"Alright, just don't do it again," Lily said throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"Of course, I promise," James said as he dropped a kiss on Lily's forehead.

Sirius rolled his eyes and muttered "whipped" under his breathe. Remus and Peter chuckled, in response James rolled his eyes.

"We're going to the Hospital Wing to find Harry, right?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, I want to know what that was about," James answered. The five of them entered the Great Hall and took a left towards the Hospital Wing.

"That kid sure is strange," Sirius decided.

"And he has a temper," Lily added.

"Your one to talk," Sirius joked fingering her red hair. Lily looked slightly annoyed, but still amused.

"I was thinking—"

"Big surprise," Sirius cut in.

"Maybe, he was only so, um, temperamental, because he's sick. Y'know, people act strange when their not feeling well," Remus began thoughtfully. "He said he needed to get sleep last night. Maybe he's sick and needs lots of rest. That could be why his parents didn't let him start at Hogwarts until now."

James and Sirius exchanged knowing looks. They knew Remus was thinking about his own situation. Before the full moon, Remus emotions ran high and he used to lose control of his temper, snapping at everybody. Every month Remus learned to control his emotions better, but they still got the best of him occasionally.

"What kind of disease do you think he could have?" Lily asked. Remus shrugged. James and Sirius decided not to say anything, as did Peter.  
"Look, I just think we shouldn't be too hard on him until we know what's wrong with him," Remus suggested cautiously.

"Easy for you to say," Peter muttered darkly.

"I say we forget that he threatened Peter. Who doesn't loss their temper? And we all make mistakes. Besides I want to learn more about him," James said. That settled the mater. They wouldn't bother Harry about his outburst in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Just after they passed a portrait of a purple sea horse they entered the Hospital Wing, only to find Harry was not in it.

"Where is he?" Sirius asked indignant as Pomfrey walked up behind them.

"He went to his dorm, Mr. Black, and unless you have an ailment go look for him there." Before anyone could answer they were ushered out of the Hospital Wing by Pomfrey.

"He couldn't have been too sick, if Pomfrey sent him back to our dorms," Remus observed. The Marauders were puzzled by this information and began their way past the portrait of the purple seahorse and up to Gryffindor Tower.

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Harry took the encubra potion in one gulp. He didn't even grimace as the vile liquid hit his tongue. Harry checked to see how much more of the potion he had and groaned. He only had a weeks worth of supply. Harry lay down on his bed staring at the not quite familiar surroundings. He had to get more of that potion. Without it Voldemort would realize somebody was connected to him; a certain somebody who wasn't even supposed to be born yet. Harry would just have to get more of the potion. Easier said than done. The problem was Snape invented the potion especially for Harry and was the only person who had the talent to brew it. Harry knew he wasn't up to making it himself and had already fought the young Snape of this time. Harry groaned.

As pressing as the problem was, Harry's thoughts strayed. Snape led to Death Eaters and they led to Voldemort. He couldn't get the image of Voldemort torturing the child from his vision out of his head. He rubbed his temples and willed the images to go away, but they wouldn't. Thoughts of Voldemort kept bouncing around in his head. His thoughts eventually focused in on the final battle between himself and Voldemort as his thoughts normally did.

The gleam of red eyes, the smell of burned flesh. Harry shuddered and tried to force the memories away, but failed. Voldemort taunted him. Memories about his parents, about Cedric, about Sirius swirled through his head. They battled in the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort had captured Ron and Hermione and lured Harry there. Harry remembered himself punching a wall until his hands bled and his knuckles cracked, when he found out Ron and Hermione had been taken. After Sirius he had sworn nobody else he cared about would suffer because of him.

Harry went to the Department of Mysteries by himself as Voldemort had instructed. Harry expected it to be a trap, but knew he was willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. He had to do something. When he got there only Voldemort was present, none of his Death Eaters were near. Harry had been able to summon ancient magic and defeat Voldemort for a final time in a contest, man to man, and the prophesy was fulfilled.

It was a horrendous battle that lasted for three days straight. As soon as Harry arrived, Voldemort threw Ron and Hermione out of the room and sealed it off from the world. The battle was so intense Harry still couldn't remember most of it and it took four weeks of bed rest to recover. Harry's left arm was hit with a powerful curse that should have killed him and will never fully heal. Harry rubbed his arm remembering the pain as the curse hit. The bones in that arm liquefied and he nearly fainted from the pain. Harry remembered the way Mrs. Weasley fussed over him and wouldn't let him carry anything for the whole summer. Harry's left arm twitched, he shook his head and sat up. He didn't like to think about what happened.

Harry decided to see how much he packed. Harry opened his trunk and was surprised to see all of his possessions there, even the Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. Harry fingered his two most treasured possessions and put them in the bottom of his trunk.

Harry started searching through the many hidden compartments in his trunk, looking for a cleansing potion when he found 'Snuffles'. 'Snuffles' was the knife Sirius had given him for Christmas. Harry had fixed the blade after it was melted in the Department of Mysteries, fifth year. The blade was as sharp as glass and could still unlock any door. Harry slipped the knife inside his brightly decorated socks. The knife had been a part of him ever since Sirius's death. A throb of nervousness filled Harry. He didn't know how he was going to deal with seeing Sirius everyday, for who knows how long, and remain sane.

Harry ran his hands through his light brown hair and continued to look for the cleansing potion for Peter. Harry briefly considered saying he lost the potion to remove the ink but dismissed the idea. He didn't want the Marauders to think he was a liar. Harry chuckled at the absurdity of the thought. He was lying to them about his very name. And yet lying about something as simple as miss placing a potion bothered him?

Just as Harry found the potion he saw an envelope addressed to him in Hermione's handwriting. As he reached out for it, he heard the Marauders walking up to his dormitory. Harry threw the letter into his trunk, slammed the lid shut, and stood up as they entered the room.

"I've got the cleansing potion to get the ink off you," Harry said quickly. He tossed the potion towards Peter, but James caught it looking smug. Peter looked duly impressed as he snatched the potion and ran to the bathroom.

"Thanks."

"That was nice of you to give him the potion," Lily said carefully. Harry shrugged awkwardly. The last thing Harry wanted to do was be nice to the traitor. He felt like he was betraying his parents and Sirius by being civil to Wormtail.

"So are you okay? What did Madame Pomfrey say?" James asked.  
"She said I was fine, scolded me, and told me not to forget to take my anti- dizziness potion."

"Are you sick?" Remus asked with concern plainly written across his face.

"Er, no, not exactly," Harry mumbled.

"Oh, well, I know you haven't known us long, but you could tell us if you're sick. We would understand," Remus coaxed.

"Yeah, I know, but don't worry about me. I just get dizzy. It's nothing to worry about." The Marauders and Lily were unconvinced, least of all Remus. Peter came back into the dorm, now clean.

"Er, thanks for the potion," Peter said. He gave James a measuring look and continued, "I'm sorry we, um, got off to a bad start. Maybe we could forget it happened," Peter squeaked hopefully extending his hand. Harry starred dumbly at Peter's hand. Harry knew he couldn't shake hands with the man who betrayed his parents. That would be the ultimate betrayal. Harry felt like he couldn't breathe. His lungs felt like they were collapsing. What was he going to do?

"This is the point where you shake his hand," Sirius prompted sternly. Harry looked up at Sirius and saw his careful gaze. He knew if he didn't shake Wormtail's hand every apology for his behavior would be void. He looked into Sirius's eyes and remembered the first time he saw Sirius in the Shrieking Shack. How Sirius had wanted to kill Wormtail, but Harry wouldn't let him. How Wormtail ran off and they had never been able to clear Sirius's name. How Sirius had died a fugitive.

Harry slapped Wormtail's hand, spontaneously slapped the other side of it, made a fist and bumped their hands together.

"Oh, er, like a secret handshake, cool," Harry tried to say causally, fighting down bile and anger.

"Uh, yeah," Wormtail agree giving Harry a strange look.

"I don't think that's what he meant," James said. Harry tried to look politely puzzled. They all looked at each other awkwardly. Peter, who was relieved Harry was at least pretending to be civil decided to accept the gesture.

"A secret handshake, that's neat. Um, class is going to start soon and you don't want to be late for potions so you better get going," Peter said awkwardly.

"Oh Merlin, we're going to be late," Lily said as she grabbed Harry's arm and started pulling him along. Once Harry and Lily were out of the room the Marauders began to talk.

"Well, I guess he did shake Peter's hand, however strangely," James observed.

"He didn't want to that was obvious," Sirius said disapprovingly.

"Did anyone else notice that look he gave you, Sirius. I don't know why but I got the feeling he only shook his hand because of you," Remus mused.

"Yeah, I noticed the look and, as cool as I am, I don't know why he'd want my approval," Sirius wondered.

"I say we keep an eye on him, something isn't normal about him," James said.

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As Lily led Harry down to the dungeons, Harry was deep in thought. Somehow he was going to have to get Snape to make a potion for him. And Harry and Snape had already been in a fight. Harry knew what he had to do.

"Um, Lily, is Snape in this class?" Harry ventured.

"Yes, why?"

"Er, you see, I was thinking, um, it's only the first day I don't want an enemy already maybe I should talk to him?" Harry forced out the words. Befriending Snape, Harry thought, it's a good thing Ron isn't here to see this.

"What! You don't want friends like that. Trust me," Lily said incredulously.

"Um, well, maybe not friends, but not enemies." Harry flattened his bangs down nervously, as if that could help protect him.

"Just stay away from him," Lily ordered, her eyes pleading. Harry suddenly wondered if her eyes looked like that as she begged for Voldemort to spare him. Harry winced and looked down. Lily saw this and regretted her harsh tone.

"Trust me, he's trouble. I used to try and talk with him but, what can I say, he's a slimy git, and not worth your time," Lily said gently. Harry couldn't bring himself to argue and only nodded.

The two of them reached the potion's room and entered silently. Class had already started. Harry gulped.

"You're late. The new student I presume?" Harry nodded. "Well, normally I would take points, but I'll make an exception, don't be late again," a very old wizard said sternly. "It's not like we can except better from Gryffindors." Harry and Lily sat down in the back and took out their quills and parchment.

"Stupid, Vashmere, he'd never let us get away with that," Snape hissed.

"That is certainly right," Professor Vashmere stated with a stern glint in his black eyes. "I do expect better from my Slytherin's. I'm only strict because I expect the best. Twenty points from Slytherin and I had better not hear another word," he snapped.

"Now, where was I? Oh yes, today we will be making the Umfelia Potion today. You took notes on the potion last lesson so get started. And Mr. Snape we better not have a repeat of last time." A couple of girls giggled and Snape went red.

"Don't worry Harry, Vashmere thinks all Gryffindors are incompetent, so he won't grade you down for not know how to make the potion." Harry noted Lily was very bitter about Vashmere attitude. "I'll let you use my notes of course, but it is a difficult potion."

"I've made it before, I think I'll be fine," Harry said nervously. Harry walked over to the student cupboard and began to pick out ingredients. He was next to Snape and could hear him muttering angrily.

"I swear, someday I'll teach potions, just to spite him. Merlin's balls I hate this class. And you know what else I'm never going to take a single point from Slytherin," Snape fumed.

"You would think he'd help his own house," Snape's burly friend replied.

"Stupid, slimy old git," Snaped muttered darkly. This was too much for Harry. He clutched his sides tiring not to laugh and failed.

"And pray tell, what is your problem," Snape sneered. Harry laughed harder.

"Er, sorry, um nothing," Harry said between gasps. Snape sent him a glare full of hatred. Harry decided the look was positively mild compared to what he was used to and kept on chuckling. Only when he was back to his seat did he remember he needed Snape's help.

Harry ruefully thought maybe if he made the potion right he could earn Snape's respect. As Harry started to get the ingredients ready Professor Vashmere walked over.

"Ah, I see Miss Evans is helping you. Your work is satisfactory for a Gryffindor. You are in a N.E.W.T. level class I expect you to work hard to keep up," Vashmere said sternly before moving on to other students. To Harry's pleasure he noted Vashmere criticized Snape's work. Harry smirked.

"So Snape isn't too good at potions?" The moment the question left Harry's mouth he panicked. If Snape wasn't good at potions, who would help him?

"Oh, no he's excellent at potions. Vashmere just thinks he has potential, so Vashmere challenges Snape. Like I said before you wouldn't believe what Snape's potions can do. Rumor has it he makes dark potions, they're very dangerous and difficult to make," Lily whispered. Harry was both comforted and disconcerted.

The two of them remained silent and concentrated on making their own potions. Harry stirred his cauldron slowly, willing it to turn pink. It was slightly orange and about the right texture. Harry was proud. He looked over at Lily's, expecting her to have a perfect potion and was shocked.

"Yours is purple," Harry whispered frantically.

"Um, yeah, how did you get yours that color," Lily testily responded.

A nearby Ravenclaw answered, "Don't be so irritable, just since somebody's doing better than you for once. You are stirring too fast. It needs to be a slower motion."

"Oh, thanks," Lily said.

By the end of the lesion nobody melted their cauldrons or blew something up. Harry considered this a vast improvement from his potions class. As the class was dismissed and they were walking out Harry heard Snape talking.

". . . oh I know they should all be killed. Every single one of them," Snape growled darkly.

"Yeah, there such fowl creatures," his friend said. Lily apparently heard them too, as she was going red in the face and looked like she was ready to kill.

"YOU HAD BETTER NOT BE TALKING ABOUT MUGGLE BORNS!" Lily screeched.

"Actually, we were talking about werewolves, but now that you mention it. . ." Snape said slyly.

"YOU BASTARD!" now it was Harry yelling. "Don't you talk about werewolves like that. I know a werewolf and he's one of the nicest people I know. And I swear by Merlin, if I hear you say one more word about werewolves, I'll kill you. Slowly." Harry was furious. Snape was stunned into silence. The look of fury radiating from Harry would make Voldemort think twice about bothering Harry. Harry grabbed his wand and pointed at Snape. Snape turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction. Harry put down his wand, shaking.

Lupin was the only Marauder left in Harry's time. The only person who understood Harry. Lupin was the only person who was more upset by Sirius's death than him. Harry vehemently defended werewolves at all costs.

Harry and Lily entered the Great Hall in silence. The Marauders were already eating dinner. The two of them sat down.

"How was Potions?" James asked.

"Fine, but my potion ended up completely the wrong color," Lily grumbled.

"I bet Harry didn't do any better," Sirius said trying to cheer Lily up. Lily's face darkened.

"Oh, no, his was fine," Lily said as causally as she could. Harry looked embarrassed. "I didn't know you were a strong supporter of werewolves," Lily said clearly trying to change to topic. Harry flushed even more.

"Er, yeah, well I am," Harry said looking everywhere but Lupin.

"Really?" Lupin said cautiously.

"Yep," Harry replied as he piled food into his mouth to avoid talking.  
"You should have seen it. Snape made some comment about werewolves and Harry just lost it. Snape was terrified; he didn't even say anything he just ran off," Lily said impressed. The Marauders were all studying Harry with interest. Harry could feel their eyes on him.

"So, why do you like werewolves so much?" James asked, curious.

"Er, I have a good friend who's a werewolf. One of the best people I know. I just can't stand hearing people talk about werewolves like they're not as good as everybody else." Harry said looking down.

"Well mate, we like werewolves," Sirius said happily.

"What this person's name? What is he like?" Remus asked curiously. Harry raised his eyes and looked into Lupin's. Harry gulped and knew this wasn't a conversation he should continue.

"Y'know what? I'm feeling kind of tired; I'm going back to our room. Goodnight." Harry hurriedly got up to leave.

"Wait you'll get lost," Lily called.

"Don't worry I'll be fine, I found the Gryffindor tower earlier. Lily looked apprehensive as Harry ran off.

Harry was out of breath by time he reached his four-poster bed. He collapsed on his bed and gasped for air. Slowly Harry got up and opened his trunk. Hermione's letter had been nagging at the back of his brain ever since he saw it. Harry picked up the letter and opened it. . .

Authors notes: Sorry I didn't make the final battle more interesting; it was a memory, Harry wasn't reliving it. Thanks to everybody who reviewed and explained the timeline. So do you think the characterization is alright? And what ships, if any, do you want to see? Right now the only one I have planned is Lily/James. Hope you enjoyed.


	7. The Marauder’s Map

1Chapter 7: The Marauder's Map

Dear Harry,

I'm going to try to explain this as best as I can. I helped you travel back to the past, but the device I used has some side effects, like you have undoubtedly noticed—memory loss. When we were in the library I stumbled across a text on the Black Veil and discovered a way to send you back in time using it. Apparently, wizards have conjectured that the Black Veil was for time travel. We figured out that if a person does the correct incantations when they go through the veil they will come out at a completely different place, which is what you did. Now Harry, I know what you're thinking and please don't get your hopes up about Sirius; he didn't say any incantations so he shouldn't have been transported. But we hope, and this is only a guess, that Sirius is stuck inside the veil. However we have no way to know how to get inside the veil or how to get somebody out of it. You might not be able to save Sirius, but we knew that before we sent you. Nobody knows that we sent you and if you can help it don't tell anybody. We aren't even sure of what time period you are being sent to. We simply created an incantation to take you to the time you needed to go to. I did, however, try to make sure you ended up at Hogwarts, for your safety, of course. Please don't do anything dangerous, I simply couldn't bear to lose you.

There are rumors about an incantation that can bring somebody back from the Black Veil but at some point in time it was lost. We hope that whenever you are you will be able to find the incantation and use it to bring Sirius back. Ron and I wish you all the luck in the world. You deserve a God Father more than anyone. Please don't tell anyone you're from another time. You know how dangerous time travel is. I wish I knew more to tell you but I don't. If you can't find the incantation go to the library and find Traveling to Unusual Places and you will find a spell that will take you back to the present. Good Luck and be careful. Ron and I miss you terribly.

Love From,

Hermione and Ron

PS—You packed the Marauder's Map and Invisibility Cloak don't let anyone find them.

Harry read the letter three times over in shock. He had a chance to save Sirius! He had a chance to get his godfather back. Harry felt dizzy and was glad he was lying on his bed in privacy. Harry couldn't believe it. He was light headed with happiness. Reading the letter for a fourth time, Harry realized how hard his task was going to be. How was he going to find one single incantation?

Harry read the letter over for a fifth time hoping for a hint, when he comprehended the significance about the Marauder's Map. Of course nobody had seen his map, but his father and the others had the present day Marauder's Map.

Harry's heart started pounding in panic. He sat up, jumped off his bed, and began looking through the Marauder's trunks. Harry couldn't believe how stupid he was not to have remembered about their map.

Just as Harry finished looking through Lupin's trunk, he began to feel guilty. This was what Wormtail had tried to do to him. Harry ran his hands through his hair and swallowed. He didn't have a choice; nobody could know who he was, especially these four people.

Harry closed Lupin's trunk and moved on to his father's. He hesitated before opening the trunk, feeling as though he was invading his father's privacy. Hands hovering above the trunk, Harry made up his mind and opened the trunk. He had to do this. For Sirius's sake if not his own.

The first thing he saw was his father's broom stick. It was a classic shooting star. Harry wondered what it was like to ride. He ran his hands over the broom mesmerized. It felt cool to the touch and was a dark brown. Harry finally tore his eyes, and hands, off the broom and continued his search. He found candy, firecrackers, and magazines on Quidditch, but no map.

Harry began to sweat. What if they had it on them right now? Harry tossed over the last robes and flipped through some books in vain, but still no map. Slamming the lid shut on the trunk, Harry moved on to Sirius's trunk. Nervously, Harry tried to open Sirius's trunk, but it was locked. Harry muttered the standard unlocking spell; worrying Sirius might not have used a standard locking charm. The trunk popped open. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and then gasped. As Harry peered inside the trunk, he heard foot steps.

Frantically, Harry searched threw Sirius's trunk. He had to find the map, before they got there. Luckily, it wasn't organized or neat, so Sirius wouldn't notice somebody went through it. Their dormitories were at the top of the tower, so Harry had some time. Harry picked up a book and flung it aside. As he looked under a Quidditch magazine he cringed as he heard Sirius laughing. They were getting closer. Flipping the magazine aside Harry opened an unobtrusive compartment. It was empty. Harry could hear they were almost up the last flight of stairs.

Desperately, Harry took out his wand and whispered, "Accio Marauder's map." The map flew out from James's bed and into Harry's hand. He glanced nervously at the door and activated the map. He quickly searched for himself on the map and found the dot labeled Harry Potter.

Harry pointed his wand at his dot and whispered, "cambiamento Harry Smith." The dot changed from 'Harry Potter' to 'Harry Smith.' Harry could clearly hear the Marauders talking about Quidditch; he threw the map under Sirius's bed, just as the Marauders opened the door. The four entered to see Harry standing by Sirius's bed, looking sweaty.

"What are you doing?" James asked. The four boys were looking curiously at Harry.

"Er, I was, uh, just standing," Harry mumbled and nodded a couple times, knowing he wasn't convincing anybody.

"Right," said Sirius, "I thought you came up here to get some rest." He was looking at Harry suspiciously.

"I, er, forgot which bed was mine," Harry lied unconvincingly. Out of habit he tried to push down his bangs, covering his scar.

"Your bed is the one by your trunk, Harry," James said slowly giving him a disbelieving look. Harry nodded and climbed into his bed, still wearing his school robes. James shook his head and turned to the Marauders.

"I'm not tired yet. Want to go back down to the Common Room?" James said. Harry noticed James wasn't really asking the other Marauders. They did just about whatever he suggested. Harry closed his eyes still breathing hard, not even slightly tired.

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The Marauders were huddled up in a corner of the Commons Room, whispering quietly.

"This sucks," Sirius whined, "it's going to be so annoying trying to keep secrets from a roommate." The others agreed.

"We don't know anything about him. We have to keep my invisibility cloak a secret and the Marauder's Map," James said.

"I know, it's just annoying," Sirius complained.

"We're still going exploring tonight with or without the invisibility cloak," James said. Sirius and Peter nodded in agreement. Remus looked regretful.

"Um, actually, I'm feeling kind of tired and think I should get some sleep," Remus sighed. James and Sirius automatically perceived the problem. Peter didn't.

"Gosh, Remus, you're such a wimp some time. If you're tired we can just get some coffee from the kitchen." Peter said callously.

"Peter you are such an idiot," Sirius snapped protectively of Remus. Comprehension dawned on Peter's face.

"Oh, full moon's coming up. When is it? Like in four days?"

"It's in three Wormtail. No wonder you failed Astronomy," James said. Sirius and James exchanged a glance and rolled their eyes. Remus tugged on his sleeves awkwardly.

"Just go without me, it's not a big deal. Besides I can keep an eye on the new kid. We still don't know why his name came up as 'Potter' on the map," Remus tried to say causally.

"His face shape is kinda familiar, but I just don't understand how there could be an unknown Potter. Maybe I'll right dad about it," James said. The rest of the Marauders shrugged.

Remus started walking back up to the dorms. 

"No way we're letting you miss out on the fun," Sirius exclaimed. "I'll stay with you and we can play chess or something." Remus smiled and appreciated his friend's gesture. Sirius loved their adventures more than the rest of them and hated playing chess, but Sirius was loyal and never let a Marauder suffer alone.

Remus shook his head and said, "No Sirius I'm tired, I'm just going to finish my homework and go to bed."

"You're starting on your homework today?" Sirius asked in disbelief. Remus rolled his brown eyes.

"Hey I have an idea—" James began.

"That's a first," Sirius joked. James pretended to be annoyed.

"Me and Wormtail can go raid the kitchen for food and you two can stay here and investigate the Marauder's Map. I still want to know what was wrong with it yesterday," James declared. The four boys agreed to that plan. James and Peter left for the kitchen and Sirius and Remus went back up to their dormitory to look at the Marauder's Map.

Harry was lying on his bed, wondering how he was supposed to find the incantation when he heard the Marauder's coming up the stairs. Harry turned over on to his stomach and shut his eyes. He was mentally exhausted from everything that happened in the day, but he wouldn't let himself fall asleep. He needed to know what the Marauders thought of him.

Harry was surprised when only Remus and Sirius entered the dormitory. Wanting to open his eyes, Harry clinched his fists in annoyance. He wanted to see what they were doing.

"Do you think he's asleep?" Remus asked. Harry heard someone walk over towards his bed, there was a pause.

"Yeah, I think so," Sirius said from next to his bed.

"Good, where did James leave the Map?" Remus asked confused.

"Under his bed, like always," Sirius replied. Harry cringed; in his panic he had thrown the map under Sirius's bed. Would they realize he had moved it? Stomach churning, Harry tried to relax. There was nothing he could do about it now.

"It's not under his bed," Remus said.

"That's strange," Sirius replied.

"Do you think that he might have found it?" Remus asked nervously.

"No, but even if he did he wouldn't know how to use it. How many people swear they're up to no good when the find a piece of old parchment?" Sirius questioned. Remus chuckled. He then got down on his knees and peered under James's bed.

"It's definitely not under there," Remus said. He started looking under Harry's bed just in case. He turned his head to the left when he spotted it under Sirius's bed. Remus went over to it and grabbed it.  
"I found it, it was under your bed," Remus said puzzled.

"I didn't put it there," Sirius said equally confused.

"How did it get there?" Remus asked. Sirius could tell Remus wasn't accusing him of lying from his facially expression so Sirius just shrugged.

"I guess we can ask Prongs about it when he gets back," Sirius suggested. Remus nodded. Sirius activated the map and they began to look at it. It wasn't long before they found the dot labeled 'Harry Smith.'

"Well, the map is back to normal," Sirius said happily.

"Huh, that's strange," Remus commented.

"What's strange?"

"It just seems strange that the map would be inconsistent, that's all." Harry was beginning to sweat. What had been wrong with the map? Had they seen him labeled Harry Potter? Trying to breathe normally, Harry counted to ten to stop himself from panicking.

"Oh no," Sirius suddenly groaned. Harry's stomach almost jumped out of his mouth.

"What's wrong?"

"McGonagall's in the kitchen and Prongs and Wormtail are about to go into it," Sirius pointed out.

"Don't go in, don't go in," Remus pleaded, with no success. Judging by their groans, Harry guessed James and Peter just went into the kitchen.

"Ah, they're going to get detention," Sirius grumbled.

"And lose us house points," Remus said. Harry felt bad for the two of them but was glad they were distracted from the map. Maybe they would even forget where they found it. Unfortunately, Harry wasn't that lucky.

"Hmmm, there's nothing we can do for them," Remus began thoughtfully. "Maybe I should do a couple of tests on the map to see if it's working right."

"Hey, you could teach me how to do the Prefundus charm," Sirius said hopefully.

"First of all, it's Preconfundus and I am not teaching you how to do that charm. Besides you don't need to know how to do that charm in order to break it," Remus said as he took out his wand and pointed it at the map, "Revealio Prior Incantato."

Remus and Sirius looked at the map curiously, while Harry held his breathe hoping nothing would happen. Hoping for something generally does very little good, and in this case Harry's hopes were in vain. The map spelled out the word 'cambiamento.'

"I didn't do it," Sirius whispered to Remus.

"I know that spell is very advanced. I've only read about it a couple of times. It works about the same as the Preconfundus but it's nearly impossible to counter," Remus replied worriedly.

"What's changed on the map?" Sirius asked. Harry clinched his eyes shut and know his cover had been ruined, but still refused to say anything. Harry knew his name hadn't changed back, the spell was nearly impossible to counter act, but at some point they were going to figure out it was him who used that spell.

"The spell I used won't make the map go back to normal, it just reveals the last spell used on the map," Remus said disappointed.

"Oh, yeah, well what should we do now?" Sirius asked.

"I say we ask Harry for his wand and see if he preformed the cambiamento charm," Remus said quietly.

"There is no way he could have done it; he doesn't even know about the map," Sirius protested.

"Think about it—the map was under your bed, instead of James's, like somebody moved it. The only thing that's changed on the map is his name. In fact when we walked into the dormitory tonight he was standing by your bed, rather guiltily. I don't believe for a second he forgot which bed is his. All the facts are pointing towards him," Remus concluded. Harry continued to lay on his bed in defeat and wide awake. "But maybe we should wait for morning when James and Peter are here; they won't want to miss this," Remus finished.

"What, are you afraid?" Sirius teased. "The mighty Gryffindor is afraid of the new kid."

"I am not afraid," Remus denied, "but this kid might be related to James. Don't you think he should be here?"

"Ah, come on. You've convinced me to wake him up and now you're telling me to wait," Sirius complained. "But I guess we should wait for James, this has something to do with him." Harry mentally groaned, nobody was supposed to know about this, certainly not his father. The desire to tell Sirius everything flared within him. Burning and twisting his insides with desire. He decided he really would have to do something. Groaning out loud for the first time, Harry opened his eyes and sat up. Sirius and Remus turned around and stared at him.

"Oh you're awake," Remus started nervously.

"Yes, I am awake, and I was for your whole conversation. I guess I've got some explaining to do." Remus and Sirius exchanged an excited glance. "It was me who put the cambiamento charm on the map. I, er, my name is, er, really Harry Potter and I'm from the future."


	8. Revelations and Secrets

1DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter

AUTHOR NOTES: Sorry it took so long to up-date. Finals are over so I should be faster from now on. Hope you enjoy and review.

Chapter 8: Revelations and Secrets

Sirius and Remus gaped at Harry Potter with open mouths. Their eyes were wide with shock and fixed on Harry. Pushing the fringe of his hair down, Harry began to panic. What was he doing? All day he had been fighting the temptation to tell them the truth and he had finally surrendered to the urge. Gathering his thoughts, Harry knew what he needed to say.

"Yes, I'm from the future and you probably know how dangerous time travel is and so you can't tell anyone I'm from the future," Harry said quickly.

"What!" Sirius exclaimed. "You're joking. We have to tell James; you're related to him." Remus looked uncertain.

"No, no, he can't know. Nobody else can know. I, er, it's—" Harry began.

"As much as I hate to say it Harry is right," Remus interrupted. A look of disgust flickered onto Sirius's face. "Any information James found out could alter the future; it would be very dangerous for him to meet a relative from the future. How are you related to him?" Sirius looked like he was about to protest. Slowly Sirius trailed his eyes across Harry's face and the rest of his body. Harry's facial structure was, to Sirius's surprise, shockingly similar to James. He wasn't even sure how he had missed the resemblance.

Harry was torn between giving them the information and erasing their memories. Opening his mouth to speak, Harry decided he would tell them an edited version of the truth. After all, he did need somebody's help. He needed to find one incantation out of millions to get Sirius out of the black veil and if he couldn't get Snape to brew the encumbra potion, he would only have a week to do it. Harry felt he could use the help.

"Er, I'm James's kid, but I really don't think I should tell you much more than that," Harry said.

"Oh, wow, so who's your mother? Is it Lily? Hmmm, you have green eyes," Sirius wondered.

"I'm not going to say or tell you anything you don't need to know," Harry snapped. His godfather really could be immature.

"Ah, come on, you can tell us stuff. What kinds of jobs are we going to have? Who's going to win the next Quidditch World Cup?" Sirius ranted excitedly.

"I'm not telling you any of that," Harry snapped. A feeling of dreaded filled his stomach. He wasn't going to be able to get any help from them after all. Annoyed at Sirius's immaturity Harry sighed. Harry suddenly felt very homesick. He knew Ron and Hermione would help him research.  
"So, why did you travel to the past?" Remus asked curiously. Harry didn't know how to answer that, but since he needed their help he would have to tell them some version of the truth.

"Er, well you see there's this incantation," Harry paused uncertainly and the others nodded their heads encouragingly. "Well, I have this problem and the only way I solve it is to find this incantation. But it's been lost in my time, so my friends helped me travel back in time to find it here." Harry decided that was very truthful.

"What kind of incantation?" Remus asked.

"Well it's about the Black Veil and that's all I'm going to say. No matter what, I going to be doing a ton of research trying to find it," Harry said regretfully.

"So what's your problem?" Sirius asked innocently. "It must be damn important if you risked traveling back in time to fix it."

Harry couldn't look up at Sirius. The image of Sirius dueling with Bellatrix filled his mind. Sirius laughing as he dueled, Sirius falling, falling. . . Harry shook his head trying to clear his mind but he couldn't. Sirius was the closest thing to a parent he'd ever had and now he had a chance to save him. A numbed pain filled Harry—What could he tell Sirius? He couldn't very well say, 'the fact that you might be dead and I haven't seen you in over a year is the problem.' He opened his mouth and shut it. Harry had the overwhelming urge to tell them everything. To tell them Peter would betray them, Sirius would end up in Azkaban. Harry remembered Lupin pulling Harry across the room after Sirius had fallen into the veil. Harry's throat started to tighten up and he continued to stare at his hands, pretending they were fascinating. Harry desperately missed having a parent figure in his life. Lupin and Harry were close but nobody could replace Sirius.

Harry looked up at Sirius and tried to speak, but shut his mouth without saying anything. There were so many things he wanted to say but he knew he couldn't say any of them. Harry finally settled on shaking his head.

"Ah, come on you can tell us what you're problem is. After all we're your father's best friends and Marauders. Marauders never betray Marauders," Sirius coaxed. Harry starred at Sirius in torment. More than anything Harry wanted to tell Sirius everything.

"I c-can't," Harry said, his voice hoarse.

"Well, you know we'll help you. You're practically family," Lupin offered. Waves of guilt washed over Harry. He had to do something. His parents were going to be murdered and he wasn't even going to warn them. Harry looked down and counted to ten, trying to calm down.

"Y-yeah," Harry said. Guilt turned to bitterness as Harry realized he had never really had a family.

"So, are you going to tell us what your problem is?" Sirius prompted.  
"N-no, I don't think I should, but I'll ask for help if I think I need it," Harry mumbled. Remus and Sirius exchanged a glance and shrugged. "So, you both promise you won't tell James or Wormtail I'm James's child?" Harry asked nervously.

"I promise I won't tell anybody, Harry," Remus said earnestly.

"Okay, I promise," Sirius said flippantly.

"Swear on your honor as a Gryffindor and as a Marauder," Harry demanded.

"Why should I?" Sirius said crossly.

"Because if you don't, it could cost us all our futures. Telling James the truth would be betraying him."

"Arg, fine I, Sirius Black, swear on my honor, as a Gryffindor and a Marauder that I will not tell anybody you're from the future," Sirius grumbled. Harry nodded satisfied; he knew Sirius would keep his word.

"So you can't tell us anything about the future?" Sirius whined. Harry shook his head.

"It's strange," Remus began, "you don't look as much like James as I would have thought."

"Oh, Dumbledore put a glamour charm on me so I wouldn't look so much like James," Harry explained, glad he could be honest about something. Harry was still having a hard time looking at Sirius.

"Can we take it off so we can see what you look like?" Sirius asked. Harry shook his head no. Sirius noticed Harry's scar for a second time and stared at it in curiosity.

"So, how did you really get that scar?" Sirius asked. Harry pushed his fringe down trying to hide his scar.

"Er, well I told you the truth. I was attacked by a dark wizard and got this scar," Harry said very awkwardly. Harry looked down, there was some much more he wanted to say.

"You were attacked by a dark wizard?" Lupin said in quiet disbelief. Sirius stared avidly at Harry.

"Um, yeah, and I already told you that," Harry said uncomfortably.

"How did it happen? Who was it? It wasn't You-Know-Who? Was it?" Sirius asked quickly.

"First of all call Voldemort by his name." Harry ignored the flinching. "And I'm not telling you anything about it. I can't risk you changing the future," Harry said sternly.

"You can't tell us anything?" Remus said with only a slight disappointment in his voice.  
"No I don't think I should," Harry confirmed.

"Ah, come on; just tell us something small, like I don't know—Where are we going to live?" Sirius prompted.

'Your current residency is in a veil,' Harry thought bitterly.

"Um, I don't know if I should tell you that." Harry looked down at his hands again.

"Alright, what about pranks? Have I taught you any good ones?" Sirius prompted.

"Er, well, thanks to you I'm able to sneak into Hogsmeade," Harry offered.

"Oh," Sirius said slightly disappointed.

"Hey, what about me? Have I taught you anything? Are we close?" Remus asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Er, I guess we're close. We talk when we have the chance. And, um, the coolest thing you've taught me to do was the Patronus Charm," Harry said with a small smile.

"What! I learn that charm?" Remus said awed. "And then I teach it to you. How old were you?"

"13."

"Wow, you must be good with charms. Most wizards can barely do the charm!" Remus said in shock. Harry started blushing.

"Oh, so you are the studious type?" Sirius said disappointed.

"Um, I don't know. Not really," Harry shrugged. Sirius looked skeptical and Remus looked excited.

"Then why did you learn an extremely difficult charm that you're not likely to use unless you have to take prisoners to Azkaban?" Sirius asked.

"I needed to learn how to do it and I've used the charm several times," Harry said quietly.

"What!" Remus said in disbelief. "When have you used it?"

Harry shook his head, "I shouldn't say."

"Ah, come on, don't tease us and say you've fought a dementor and not tell us details." Sirius whined.

"I can't tell you; it would be dangerous. Now that I've told you more than I should have I'm going to get some sleep. We have class tomorrow and I'm going to have to start researching," Harry's insides were squirming. The last thing he wanted to talk about with his godfather was dementors. Guilt sliced through Harry. Sirius was going to spend 12 years with the dementors and Harry wasn't even going to warn him. As Harry's face contorted with pain, he laid down in his bed and shut his eyes.

"Harry, I'll help you research if you'll let me," Remus said.

Harry turned over and looked at Remus, "Thanks." Sirius was looking disappointed by Harry's sudden decision to go to bed.

"That's it! You're not going to tell us anything else?" Sirius said vexed. Harry bit his lip and looked down. He closed his eyes and counted to ten. There was nothing more he wanted to do than tell them everything. But he couldn't. Harry heard Sirius sigh and move towards his bed.

Harry lay in his bed for at least an hour before he heard James and Wormtail come back up from their detention. Remus stirred and sat up. Rubbing his eyes he looked at James and Peter.

"What took you so long?" Remus asked. James and Peter sat down on their beds.

"McGonagall caught us and made us do detention, tonight," James grumbled.

"How many points did you lose?"

"Ten each," James said causally.

"Only twenty points? She must be desperate for us to win the house cup this year," Remus said shocked. James nodded and threw a shoe at Sirius to wake him up. Groaning, Sirius sat up.

"Why did you wake me up?" Sirius said rubbing his eyes.

"We want to know what you two found out," James prompted. Peter nodded his head enthusiastically. Sirius and Remus glanced at each other.

"Nothings wrong with the map, anymore," they said at the same time. Remus went and got the map and handed it to James. He found 'Harry Smith' and pointed it out to James.

"Well that's strange. Are you sure nothings wrong with the map?" James asked confused.

"Yep, positive," Remus replied. "I did some tests, nothings wrong with the map."

"Okay, well I believe you. I guess if you didn't find anything we should just go to sleep," James suggested. The four boys laid down each wondering different things. Sirius was wondering how he could get more information out of Harry.

Remus was musing about why Harry seemed so withdrawn. He couldn't understand how Harry could be so different from James in temperament. Quiet and quick to anger, Harry seemed nothing like the carefree James. What could have happened to him? And why did he need to resort to time travel to solve his problem. Was he Harry's werewolf friend or was there someone else?

James was wondering about the mysterious boy in their dormitory and why he was there.  
Peter was pondering why this kid hated him and wondered if Harry was a danger to him. If he was going to steal his few friends. None of the Marauders got much sleep that night, least of all Harry.

MORE AUTHOR NOTES: Well I hope you liked it. Sorry if it was a little rushed, but I wanted to post it today. Thanks to everybody who reviewed last time. And please tell me what you think about this chapter. Thanks. hugs


	9. Deadlines

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: I wrote this chapter in a different style than all the other chapters, so I hope you like it. Thanks to everybody who reviewed. And please review again; I'll love you forever.  
  
Chapter 9: Deadlines  
  
The next week went by in a blur for Harry. He woke up, went to classes and researched in the library. Most of the time Remus helped him and sporadically Sirius joined in; although Sirius hindered their progress more than helped it. And as for progress—there wasn't much. Books on the black veil were almost nonexistent. Occasionally one of the boys would find a book that mentioned the black veil, but the only thing it would say is, "not much is known about this mysterious creation," or "the black veil, inventor unknown, is currently residing in the Mysteries of Magic department for more information read The Black Veil, to Live, to Die." But where this book was located was anybody's guess. As they dragged on and made little progress Sirius began to lose his patience.  
  
"Can't you be any more specific about what we're looking for?" he whispered to Harry.  
  
"I told you anything about the black veil is good enough," Harry replied tersely.  
  
"What do you know about the black veil? Maybe if we know more about it we would know how to research it better," Sirius retorted.  
  
"Oh, yes I found something . . . never mind. It's nothing," Remus interrupted.  
  
"I don't know much about it, other than it's something you should stay away from," Harry hissed at Sirius.  
  
"Well, if I should stay away from it, maybe I shouldn't help you research it," Sirius replied, annoyed.  
  
"Sirius stop being so immature," Remus then turned to Harry. "He's just angry; James and Peter are practicing Quidditch without him." Sirius shrugged in assent. The three boys continued to search through the books in silence until—  
  
"I'm bored," Sirius whined. Glancing up a Sirius, Harry tried to fight back his frustration. He wished desperately that Ron and Hermione were helping him. Remus was good in a library, but nobody beat Hermione at research. And Ron might not have been the most helpful, but he would at least take the research seriously. Harry sighed, got up, and looked for a different book.  
  
Sirius followed Harry and began asking Harry questions.  
  
"How serious is this problem?"  
  
"Very serious," Harry replied.  
  
"How much? On a scale of one to ten," Sirius continued.  
  
"It's a matter of life and death," Harry snapped. He looked at Sirius apologetically and then looked down.  
  
"What do you mean it's a matter of life and death?" Sirius said somberly.  
  
"I mean exactly that. If I don't find this incantation, I'm never, er, going to—" Harry broke off unwilling to finish the sentence. "It doesn't matter; I'm going to find the incantation. No matter what," Harry said softly and firmly. Sirius gave Harry a measuring look, as if he wasn't sure how to take this information. The boys continued their search.  
  
At six O'clock, Remus and Sirius started packing up their stuff to leave and noticed Harry wasn't doing the same.  
  
"Aren't you coming with us?" Remus questioned.  
  
"No, I need to research," Harry said wearily.  
  
"Come on, you haven't eaten with us since Tuesday dinner, and its Friday," Sirius coaxed.  
  
"I don't have time," Harry replied sadly. He wanted to get to know the Marauders and his mother, but Sirius's life was at stake; he didn't have the time.  
  
"Is one dinner really going to make a difference?"  
  
"Yes, I have to leave this Monday, so I only have three days left," Harry worriedly replied. Wishing he had more of the encumbra potion, Harry cursed at himself for not bringing more.  
  
"Why do you have to leave Monday?" Remus asked.  
  
Harry hesitated. He hadn't told them anything about himself and Voldemort, so the potion might be difficult to explain. Unsure of what to tell them Harry began, "Well, you remember when I fainted?" Sirius and Remus nodded. "Er, I'm going to run out of the potion I need Monday, and it's too dangerous for me to stay without it." Harry was willing to risk his life for Sirius, but knew he couldn't risk Voldemort finding out about him. Harry sighed and looked back down at the book he was reading.  
  
"An Anti-Dizziness potion? Why don't you just buy some more? I'm sure Madame Pomfrey could make you some," Remus reasoned.  
  
"Er, it's not an Anti-Dizziness potion," Harry mumbled.  
  
"What is it?" Sirius asked quickly.  
  
"It's for something a bit more complicated. I don't think I should get into it," Harry said quietly.  
  
"You're sick?" Remus questioned quietly.  
  
"No, it's not, er, a sickness, it's just something that I have to, um, deal with," Harry said lamely. Remus and Sirius looked skeptical.  
  
"Lily's good at potions, maybe she could make it for you," Sirius suggested.  
  
"Not good enough, the potion is extremely complicated," Harry stated.  
  
"She is in NEWT level potions," Remus pointed out.  
  
"There is only one person in my time that can make this potion, and he's the one who invented it," Harry said.  
  
"Who is it? Has that person been born yet? Maybe we could get him to make it," Remus said hopefully.  
  
Harry shook his head and laughed, "I don't think you two could convince Snape to do anything." Remus and Sirius gaped at Harry in shock. Harry rubbed his left arm as he started to read.  
  
"Snape?" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
"He invented the potion specifically for me, and it's the only thing that helps. . ." Harry trailed off.  
  
"What do you mean 'helps'? If you're sick, you can tell us, you can trust us," Remus said his eyes full of concern.  
  
"I'm not sick, but I need to keep on researching, so please stop disturbing me," Harry said regretfully. Remus sat back down and began looking through another book; Sirius followed suit.  
  
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
  
James didn't understand what was happening and he was suspicious. Ever since he came back from detention with Peter, Remus and Sirius seemed to trust Harry completely. He didn't know where their sudden change in attitude came from and he didn't like it. On top of their attitude adjustment, they were even helping him study in the library. James just didn't understand. Sirius spent his life avoiding the library and abruptly he's blowing off Quidditch practice in order to study.  
  
If Peter was disturbed by any of these changes, James couldn't tell. All James knew was that something wasn't right and he was going to find out what it was.  
  
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
  
James was really beginning to worry. As unusual as it was for Sirius to miss out on Quidditch, it was unheard of for him to miss dinner. James looked up at Peter and sighed in annoyance. Completely unaware of Sirius's and Remus's abnormal behavior, Peter was happily chatting to James. James would occasionally nod and mutter, "I still think the Chudley Cannons have a chance," and Peter wouldn't realize James wasn't even slightly paying attention to what Peter was saying.  
  
At 9 O'clock James couldn't take it any more. He had to talk with Sirius and Remus. Standing up, he told Peter he forgot to do something, and ran up toward the Gryffindor's common room. Just as he reached the Fat Lady, James realized what was bothering him. Tonight was the full moon and the last time he had checked Remus was in the library. Spinning on his heels, James ran the other direction.  
  
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
  
Harry, Remus, and Sirius were hunched over mounds of books, when Dumbledore entered the library. Glancing up at Dumbledore Harry realized he never told Dumbledore what he had found out. Hope rising in Harry that Dumbledore would be able to help, he got up to speak with Dumbledore. However Dumbledore did not seem to want to speak with him, instead—  
  
"Remus, if I could speak to you for a moment?" Dumbledore requested.  
  
"Um, sure Professor." Remus got up and walked over to Dumbledore. The two of them began to whisper quietly. Suddenly Remus paled and ran out of the library.  
  
Seeing this Sirius smacked himself on the head and groaned, "Oh shit." He then looked at Dumbledore apologetically, but Dumbledore appeared not to have noticed the profanity.  
  
"What's going on?" Harry whispered confused. Sirius shook his head, and started packing up his belongings.  
  
"I have to go, I'll help you tomorrow, if I can," Sirius said quietly, as he too ran from the library. Harry stood there confused.  
  
"Professor, what was that about?" Harry wondered.  
  
"It's none of your concern Harry," Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes. "Am I mistaken, or did you want to talk with me?" Confusion written across his face, Harry walked over to Dumbledore.  
  
"Yes, I've figured some stuff out, but I shouldn't mention it here," Harry whispered.  
  
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
  
At the entrance to the library, James and Sirius ran straight into each other; both of them fell, hitting their heads,  
  
"Watch where your going!" James shouted, as he rubbed his head.  
  
"James, what are you doing here?" Sirius asked.  
  
"What are you doing here?" James echoed.  
  
"Never mind, Remus is about to transform, so we'd better get down to the Shrieking Shack." Sirius transformed into a dog and began running down a wide staircase. James followed at a full sprint.  
  
When they reached the Shrieking Shack Remus had already transformed. Sirius was panting, as was James, as he transformed into a stag.  
  
Mooney was howling and digging into the walls with his claws. Eyes blood red, mouth dripping with saliva, he approached Prongs and Padfoot. The dog and stag stood perfectly still as the wolf circled around them, his nose in the air sniffing. After circling a third time Mooney sat down and let out an ear splitting howling. Padfoot and Prongs joined in as best they could.  
  
Together the three animals left the Shrieking Shack and entered the Forbidden Forest. Dark and quiet the trees stood tall. The boys ran between the trees and jumped over small streams. Padfoot and Prongs nipped playfully at each others heels as they made their way deeper and deeper into the forest.  
  
Racing, Mooney, Prongs, and Padfoot, lost track of where they were and found themselves in an area of the forest they hadn't explored. Prongs and Padfoot slowed down cautiously. The werewolf kept on exploring easily. Suddenly, Mooney put his nose up in the air, howled, and charged at a tree. Standing still, Prongs and Padfoot watched as Mooney climbed up twenty feet of tree and grab a two foot spider.  
  
Gleaming white teeth, Mooney bit in to the spider; it squealed in pain. As it squealed three more came to its defense, all larger than the first. Each at least four feet large they began to attack Mooney. Teeth biting, and legs swathing over Mooney, he was nearly overwhelmed. Jumping in the spider fray, Prongs knocked off one spider and smashed it against a tree. Mooney trying to bite the spiders on his back was rolling in circles on the ground. A split second later, Padfoot sprang on a spider and ripped off one of its legs. The spider hissed and bit into Padfoot's neck. Flailing his head to remove the spider, Padfoot slammed his head against a tree and swayed. Meanwhile, the four foot spider on his neck continued to bit him. Fortunately, Prong saw the problem and smashed the spider with his antlers. By that time Mooney had killed the other spider. All three slightly hurt, they continued to play in the forest. Although, they made their way closer to the edge of the forest and away from the gigantic spiders.  
  
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
  
The meeting with Dumbledore had been short. Harry had explained to Dumbledore that he needed to find an incantation to bring somebody out of the Black Veil. Dumbledore informed Harry he hadn't heard of such an incantation, but promised to look into it. After that Harry returned to his dormitory to find Wormtail alone in it.  
  
"What are you doing here by yourself?" Harry questioned coldly.  
  
"Nothing, I don't know where everybody went without me," Wormtail replied nervously. "Do you know where they are?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Harry laid down on his bed and tried to ignore Wormtail. Heart pounding furiously, Harry couldn't tolerate the thought of sleeping alone in the same room as this traitor. He tried to calm down, but the more he thought about Wormtail that faster his heart raced. Suddenly, he jerked upward, to a sitting position. Harry reached out toward his leg and pulled the knife Sirius had given him out of his sock. Flicking the blade out of it's sheathe, Harry sighed out in relief. He starred at the blade in fascination. Light flickering over the silver blade, Harry remembered Wormtail's crimson blood flowing over the blade and onto the hilt. He looked up at Wormtail and remembered the expression of horror on his face as he cut into him for the first time. Harry shuttered and dropped the knife.  
  
He had killed Wormtail in cold blood. His death wasn't needed. But Harry had wanted revenge and he got it. A wave of guilt washed over him. He was a murderer. Throwing the guilt aside, Harry picked the knife back up. Wormtail was a monster; he deserved it for betraying them all. Closing the knife and shoving it back in his sock, Harry got up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Wormtail squeaked.  
  
"Out."  
  
"Do you want me to come with you?" Wormtail offered. Giving Wormtail a cold look Harry stormed out of the room. Sirius spent 12 years of his life in Azkaban because of Wormtail and now Sirius was stuck in a veil. Stalking down the corridors, Harry went to the library to research. 


	10. Nightmares and Quidditch

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: I tried to write this chapter quickly, so I could up-date. The first part between the slashes is Harry's dream. Please review, I like to know what you think. Thanks to everybody who reviewed last time.  
  
Chapter 10: Nightmares and Quidditch  
  
/Distant screams. The smell of blood filled his nostrils. He had to get to her. She was suffering and it was his entire fault. Harry was stooped low stumbling as fast as he could toward her. He could hear her screams; she was close. But it was dark, much too dark and he didn't have his wand to light the way. Harry ran faster as her screams got louder. Suddenly they stopped and all Harry could hear was his own rasping breathe. Blood pounding through his head, Harry knew she was dead./  
  
"Please hold on, I'm coming. Just a little longer," Harry moaned. Harry continued scrambling forward.   
  
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When Lily went out in to the Common Room on Saturday morning, she found Peter sitting by himself, looking lost. He was sitting by the fireplace glancing around as if looking for something. Wondering where the rest of his friends were, Lily approached.  
  
"What happened to your fellow troublemakers?" Lily asked curiously.  
  
"Huh? Oh, I'm not sure. They all just disappeared on me," Peter squeaked.  
  
"That's strange. Maybe they're in the Hospital Wing?" Lily mused. "They spend a lot of time there." Peters face lit up in recognition and he slapped himself on the forehead.  
  
"Oh, course! I'm such an idiot some of the time." Peter jumped up and ran out of the room toward the hospital wing.  
  
Lily took the chair Peter had been sitting in and wondered what the Marauders had gotten into this time or if it was because of Remus. She was still curious why Remus was there so often, but had given up on figuring out the mystery after six years. Suddenly a thought struck her; if the Marauders were all down at the Hospital Wing, was Harry all by himself? Deciding that Harry might need some guidance on what to do on a Saturday, Lily got up to go get Harry.  
  
Lily trotted up the Gryffindor tower to the seventh year dormitories and saw that it was completely empty. Shrugging, Lily assumed Harry must have gone to the Hospital Wing with them. A slightly anxious feeling filled her stomach at the thought of Harry being injured. He probably wasn't injured, but the thought still bothered her. After seeing Harry faint a week ago, she felt somewhat worried about his well being.  
  
Taking a deep breathe Lily forced thoughts of Harry out of her mind and made her way down to breakfast. After a glass of pumpkin juice and a few slices of toast, Lily decided to get a head start on her homework. After all she wasn't made Head Girl by procrastinating. Gathering up her stuff, she made her way to the library.  
  
Upon entering the library, Lily immediately headed toward the back, which was her favorite place to do her home work. As she walked past a bookshelf, she heard someone muttering. Cocking her head in concentration, Lily strained her ears to listen, but the muttering had stopped. Lily turned around the bookshelf and saw Harry sitting slumped over in a chair. His head was resting on a book and his right hand was clutching his left arm painfully.  
  
Creeping up quietly, Lily peered over Harry's shoulder to see what he was reading. Suddenly, Harry gave a jerk and jumped back, knocking Lily down. Before Lily had a chance to even think about getting up, Harry whipped out his wand and stunned her. Harry squinted down at her. After feeling the table for his glasses, Harry picked them up, put them on, and watched the person on the floor come in to focus.  
  
"Oh, bloody hell! Are you alright?" Harry exclaimed after realizing he had just stunned his mother. Quickly, Harry said the counter spell and helped Lily to her feet.  
  
"Do you normally attack people if they walk near you when you're sleeping?" Lily hissed. Her green eyes were blazing with anger.  
  
"You snuck up behind me," Harry defended himself.  
  
"I wasn't sneaking; you were asleep!" Lily retorted. "What were you doing sleeping here anyways?" Lily questioned.  
  
"Er, I fell asleep reading," Harry excused himself.  
  
"You slept in the library? All night?" Lily exclaimed. Before Harry could defend himself, a young Madame Pince ushered them out of the library for talking loudly. Lily wasn't done with Harry though.  
  
"So you slept all night in the library, attacked me, and then got us kicked out of the library!" Lily ranted. Lily's screeching reminded Harry of Mrs. Weasley scolding the twins. Smiling faintly, Harry thought proudly now he could tell people he know what it was like to be yelled at by a parent.  
  
"What are you smiling about?" Lily exclaimed angrier than ever. Harry just shook his head and thought only an orphan would be happy to be yelled at by a real parent.  
  
"I'm sorry. It's just strange; being yelled at, that is," Harry replied wistfully. Lily gave Harry a strange look and saw the sad, yet peaceful look on Harry's face. Lily wasn't sure how to continue. Looking in to Harry's familiar green eyes, Lily suddenly was struck by how mature Harry looked. He seemed much older then seventeen. Lily began to wonder why he was so good in duels and quick to hex when he felt he was in danger. What had Harry been through that made him behave like this? Harry cut into Lily's thoughts—  
  
"Do you think she'll let us back in?" Harry asked concerned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I need to keep on researching in the library today. Do you think Madame Pince will let us back in?" Harry clarified.  
  
"Probably not until after lunch," Lily answered.  
  
"Are you sure? I really need to, er, study," Harry asked desperately.  
  
"Yes," Lily said angrily, "and you're not the only one who needs to study. I was in there for a reason."  
  
"Sorry." Harry walked toward the Great Hall for breakfast and Lily left him to go back up into the Commons Room to study. When Harry entered the Great Hall he saw the Marauders sitting together and joined them. They looked as tired and as battered as he felt.  
  
"What happened to you guys?" Harry asked.  
  
James looked at Remus nervously and replied, "We were just exploring the school. There are some interesting things you can find at night."  
  
"You guys look like you were in a fight with a Blast-Ended-Skrewt," Harry told them. The four boys looked at him blankly.  
  
"What's a Blast-Ended-Skrewt?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Never mind," Harry said, shaking his head.  
  
"I'm not sure I can help you research today," Remus grumbled. Harry suddenly noticed how pale and tired Lupin looked. Realization dawned on Harry; last night must have been a full moon, so Lupin must have transformed.  
  
"That's fine. I was kicked out of the library anyway," Harry said darkly.  
  
"Did you spend the whole night there?" Peter asked.  
  
"Yes," Harry said moodily.  
  
"You spent the whole night in the library?" Sirius said incredulously. "You certainly are wild," Sirius teased; Harry glared at him.  
  
"Yep, I do all sorts of wild things like sneak in to the library," Harry said dully. Surprised, Harry realized the first time he sneaked out at night was to go to the library and research Nicholas Flamel. Sighing, Harry grabbed some sausage and began to eat.  
  
"What were you doing in the library?" James asked incredulously.  
  
"Reading," Harry said slowly as if James might be stupid.  
  
"I think you've spent too much time with Remus and Lily. You need to come play some Quidditch with us after breakfast," James announced.  
  
"I don't have a broom," Harry protested.  
  
"You can borrow a school broom; they even have a Silver Arrow," James said proudly.  
  
"A Silver Arrow?" Harry said, not sure how to react.  
  
Luckily James didn't pay much attention to his response, "I know they're a couple of years old, but the Silver Arrow's are really nice," James said.  
  
"I don't know. . . they're fast, but they don't have much maneuverability," Sirius countered.  
  
Harry interrupted their debate, "but I haven't played in about two years."  
  
"Well now that your ogre parents aren't preventing you from playing, you'll be able to play just about every week," James declared. Sirius bit back a laugh and began choking. "What's so funny?"  
  
"Nothing," Sirius replied grinning. Eating the rest of his breakfast in silence, Harry thought about Quidditch. It seemed like it had been a life time since he had played Quidditch. Nervous that he would make a fool of himself in front of his father, Harry tried to remember the last time he flew a broom. It had been against Slytherin and Ron had done horrible. Harry rubbed his left arm, that match seemed like a lifetime ago.  
  
"Let's go," James said. The five boys got up and began to get ready to fly.  
  
0000000  
  
Gripping his Silver Arrow, Harry kicked off the ground. Immediately, Harry relaxed. This was flying; the only thing in the wizarding world that seemed to come to him naturally. Harry flew a in a couple of circles to get the feel of his broom.  
  
James and Wormtail were on a team against Harry and Sirius. James and Sirius had wanted to be on a team together, but by mutual agreement they decided it would be unfair to have the two assumed worst players on the same team. Remus was down below watching them. The rules were simple. They were playing without bludgers and only one Quaffle. All four players acted as both chasers and seekers. They could all score with the Quaffle and catch the Snitch. Everything else was the same.  
  
Remus threw the Quaffle into the air; James caught it and the game began. Sirius began to chase after James and Harry kept close to Wormtail. James took careful aim and scored within the first ten seconds of the game. Racing after the Quaffle, Sirius grabbed it and tossed it to Harry who managed to catch it, awkwardly. His broom was slower and less responsive than he was used to, but he was slowly adjusting to the older broom. James raced up next to Harry and tried to grab the Quaffle, but Harry went in to a short dive and avoided James. The Silver Arrow didn't pull out as fast as Harry thought it would and Harry ended up closer to the ground than he had planed. Harry threw the Quaffle back to Sirius and Sirius managed to score, after dodging Peter.  
  
After about an hour they still hadn't caught the snitch and James was winning by about seventy points, Peter had only made one goal. Harry decided that finding the snitch was his only hope. So after throwing the Quaffle to Sirius, which was intercepted by James, Harry began to seriously search for the snitch. After only five minutes Harry saw a glint of gold fifty feet beneath James. Sirius was distracting James, trying to steal the Quaffle, so Harry dived for the snitch.  
  
Peter gasped and pointed at Harry. James and Sirius were so busy with the Quaffle neither of them noticed. Peter followed Harry toward the snitch. Harry was flat against his broom speeding toward the snitch. When Harry sped directly beneath James and Sirius they looked down and noticed the chase. The snitch suddenly jerked to the left; Harry followed without hesitation. At neck break pace the snitch plummeted downward, followed closely by Harry. In a near freefall Harry was catching up to the snitch.  
  
"Pull out of the dive, your going to crash," James yelled. Peter, Sirius, and Remus all stared disbelievingly at Harry. Ten feet above the ground Harry reached out and grabbed the snitch. Pulling back as hard as he could, he started to pull out of the dive. His feet hit the ground just as the broom became parallel with the ground. Slowing to a stop, Harry stood up and held the snitch up in his left hand.  
  
The four boys crowded around Harry, amazed.  
  
"That was bloody brilliant. The way you came out of that dive!" James let out a low whistled in amazement.  
  
"I've never seen flying like that," Sirius said astounded.  
  
"Where did you learn to fly like that?" Peter wanted to know.  
  
"Did your parents teach you that? You could have been killed," Remus exclaimed.  
  
"So, you, er, think I'm an alright flyer?" Harry asked James nervously.  
  
"You're bloody brilliant! You really haven't played Quidditch in about two years?" James said in disbelief. Smiling widely, Harry thought this was the best feeling in the world. His father, an excellent Quidditch player, thought he was a good player. Elevated with happiness Harry couldn't stop smiling.  
  
"You ought to try out for the Quidditch team. We already have a seeker, but he isn't nearly as good as you are," James told Harry. "With flying abilities like that you could become a professional Quidditch player. Why haven't you been playing for the past couple of years?"  
  
"Er, well, I've just had other, er, more important things to do," Harry mumbled, still very pleased with himself.  
  
"Like what? What's more important than Quidditch?" James questioned disbelievingly.  
  
"I've just been busy," Harry said evasively. Pushing thoughts of Voldemort out of his mind Harry tried to concentrate on how happy he felt. His dad thought he was good at Quidditch.  
  
"Didn't you say you were grounded from Quidditch for a year?" Sirius asked with mischief in his eyes.  
  
"That was complicated," Harry said quickly.  
  
"Your parents grounded you from Quidditch for a year!" James exclaimed indignantly.  
  
"Er, well," Harry didn't know what to say. Umbridge had expelled him from Quidditch, which was kind of like being grounded.  
  
"Your parents must be absolutely horrible," James said vehemently. Harry's began to feel sick to his stomach. Pushing his fringe over his scar Harry began to count to ten.  
  
"They must be just terrible," Sirius pretended to sympathized with Harry. Remus and Sirius looked deeply amused by the situation. Gulping, Harry nodded, even as he could feel vile in the back of his throat.  
  
"What other kind of ways have they punished you? And what did you do to get grounded from Quidditch?" James asked still in shook that somebody's parents could be so harsh.  
  
"I got in a fistfight with another kid." I did attack Malfoy, Harry remembered. "And as for other punishments, well I was locked in a cupboard for a couple of months for doing accidental magic," (the snake he let lose on Dudley) "er, they, um locked me in my room for a while. Put bars on my window and a catflap in my door in order to feed me, er,--" Harry broke off and shook his head. What the Dursley's did to him normally didn't bother him, but after talking with his parent and knowing the life he might have had, staying with the Dursley's seemed worse.  
  
"They put bars on your windows and fed you through a catflap? Why?" James asked horrified. Sirius was still trying to hide his amusement, but Remus was torn between thinking it was a joke and thinking there was truth behind his statements. Peter stood there shocked.  
  
"Er, they thought I dropped a cake on my, er, father's friend's head, it was actually a house elf who did it, but they didn't believe me," Harry said quietly.  
  
"That's awful," Peter exclaimed.  
  
"Whatever, if doesn't mater," Harry declared quietly. Surviving much worse things than that, Harry knew that had hardly been the worst part of his life.  
  
"Your parent must be truly horrendous people," Sirius said as solemnly as he could. Harry couldn't bring himself to nod. Both Lily and James were good people; they would never have locked him in a cupboard or told him that he was a freak.  
  
"They must have been real monsters," Peter said, trying to sympathize with Harry. How dare Wormtail say anything bad about his parents, Harry thought. His mind blazed with anger. Everything was Wormtail's fault. Harry thought he was about to explode. His parents were great people. Harry's insides were withering in furry.  
  
"Harry are you alright?" Remus asked.  
  
Harry opened his mouth to say 'yes' but that's not what came out, "DON"T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY PARENTS," Harry yelled. The four boys were taken aback. "My parents were good people; they've done everything they can for me. You don't have any right to talk about them like that," Harry spat out furiously.  
  
Spinning on his heel, Harry strode away from the group, leaving the Marauders bewildered by Harry's outburst.  
  
MORE AUTHOR NOTES: The dream will be explained in later chapters; I didn't forget about it. Please review. I'll give you a big hug. 


	11. Simple Times

DISCLAMOR: Harry isn't mine.  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: I had trouble writing the beginning of this chapter so sorry if it's choppy. And nobody read this over before I posted it so sorry if there are obvious mistakes in it. I didn't want to wait any longer before I posted. But don't worry the end gets much better. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and please review again. Enjoy the chapter, it's extra long.  
  
Chapter 11: When things were simple  
  
Harry Potter couldn't concentrate. Once again he was in the library researching the Black Veil. Remus and Sirius had come along to help, so they said, as did James and Peter and Lily. After exchanging a few words, Remus and Sirius decided they didn't want to leave Harry alone. James and Peter decided they didn't want to leave Remus and Sirius alone with Harry, as he was obviously unstable and unpredictable. Lily, of course, was thrilled that the Marauders were actually studying and had to come along to see the rare event.  
  
None of this helped Harry concentrate. He knew he had less than two days to find the incantation to save Sirius's life and half the school decided to watch him research in the library. Remus and Sirius would occasionally point something out to him, but that was it. James and Peter would glance up at him every couple seconds, as if, expecting him to turn into a rampaging Hippogriff. Lily watched the whole spectacle, baffled.  
  
Harry sighed; he hadn't found one single mention of the Black Veil in the last 17 books he looked through. His back was tense from stress and his left temple was throbbing. 'The black rose is very difficult to find in the wild,' Harry read. Slamming the book shut, Harry stood up and began to look for another.  
  
"What are you doing?" James whispered.  
  
"Looking for a different book," Harry said annoyed.  
  
"What kind of book?" James prodded.  
  
"The kind with information," Harry replied coldly. He felt like he was never going to save Sirius.  
  
"What information?" James continued. Rolling his eyes, Harry picked up another book and began flipping through it. "What information?" James demanded to know.  
  
"Information on the unknown artifacts." Harry didn't want to waste time arguing.  
  
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Four more hours dragged on before the Marauders had to leave. They said they were bored, but Harry knew better. He knew Remus was going to transform again tonight. Soon after Lily said she was going to bed; Harry let out a sigh of relief and continued the research.  
  
Maybe in the restricted section, Harry thought. Harry decided after Madame Pince kicked him out of the library, he would come back with his invisibility cloak and sneak into the restricted section.  
  
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As the Marauders walked down to the Shrieking Shack, they discussed Harry.  
  
"He seems rather temperamental," James commented.  
  
"That an understatement. He acts like he has multiple personalities!" Peter squeaked.  
  
"Ah, come on, give the weirdo a break. How strange would you be, if you lived with your parents your whole life?" Sirius said flippantly.  
  
"I don't know something seems, er, off about him," Remus finished quietly.  
  
"I know what you mean," James said quietly. Peter nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"Some of the times. . . when you look in his eyes, he just seems so much older than we are," Remus said thoughtfully.  
  
James shrugged, "he certainly isn't normal. Remus, you better hurry up or you won't make it to the Shack in time to transform."  
  
00000  
  
The Marauders enjoyed another night exploring the Forbidden Forest, this time avoiding any giant spiders. Harry on the other hand, spent the entire night researching in the Restricted Section, only finding mention of the Veil once. As Harry grew more and more desperate to find the incantation, the Marauders grew more curious about Harry.  
  
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The next morning Sirius found Harry (with the Marauder's Maps help) under his Invisibility Cloak in the library. Harry was curled in a ball on the floor resting his head on a book he had been looking through the night before.  
  
"Harry, wake up. I want to talk to you," Sirius demanded.  
  
"Huh?" Harry said sleepily.  
  
"Get up, you git," Sirius said. "It's 12 0'clock." Harry bolted into a sitting position and straightened his glasses. Running his hand throw his extremely messy hair, Harry stood up and blinked several times.  
  
"Come on, I want to talk to you," Sirius said as he dragged a half sleeping Harry out of the library. He pulled Harry into an unused class room and sat down in a desk. Harry yawned as he sat down.  
  
"I'm exhausted," Harry mumbled.  
  
"I'm not surprised with how much you've been researching," Sirius said.  
  
"So, what did you wanna talk about?" Harry said dazed.  
  
"Oh, just about Quidditch," Sirius replied happily. Harry groaned; Sirius had woken him up to talk about Quidditch. Harry starred at Sirius in disbelief.  
  
"Well, actually I wanted to ask: What the hell happened after we played Quidditch the other day?" Sirius exclaimed. Harry swallowed, embarrassed by his loss of temper.  
  
"Er, I just, my parents were good people. And, I, er, can't stand when people talk bad about them," Harry mumbled.  
  
"But, it was just a joke. James would never lock you away in your room for something a house elf did or ground you from Quidditch," Sirius stated.  
  
"Yes, well, all the same. People shouldn't talk bad about my parents—I can't stand it," Harry proclaimed. Sirius nodded; he wasn't sure what to think of Harry. Why was he so defensive about his parents?  
  
Seeing the look on Sirius's face he decided to elaborate.  
  
"Er, just image how you would feel if I was making fun of Remus, and everybody was laughing but he didn't get the joke, so just laughed with us. . ." Harry trailed off. That did make some since, Sirius decided.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. You just over reacted a bit," Sirius said. Deciding that Harry wasn't going to explain his outburst anymore than he already had, chose not to bother Harry about his outburst anymore.  
  
"Okay, I'll make sure to tell the rest of them not to talk about your parents, but I wouldn't worry about Peter saying anything. He's scared stiff of you. Image how he's going to laugh when he finds out crazy Harry Smith is really James's son," Sirius said smiling.  
  
"Why do you think Peter will find out?" Harry asked coldly.  
  
"Oh, don't worry. We're not going to tell him, but when you get back to the future . . ."  
  
"Oh," Harry replied.  
  
"By the way, when was the last time you played Quidditch? You really were excellent," Sirius complimented. Sirius decided that Harry was definitely moody and wanted to bring the conversation somewhere safe.  
  
"I don't know, sometime in my fifth year," Harry said offhandedly. Still rather tired from staying up researching, Harry felt drowsy.  
  
"You're fifth year!" Sirius said shocked. "Why did you stop playing?"  
  
"Er, I was, um, expelled from the Quidditch team," Harry mumbled, knowing he shouldn't be telling Sirius this. Sirius starred at him stunned. "So in a way I was 'grounded,'" Harry tried to add lightly.  
  
"Why were you expelled from Quidditch?" Sirius asked flabbergasted.  
  
"Fighting, and I really shouldn't even be telling you this," Harry protested.  
  
"Expelled from Quidditch," Sirius kept repeating in disbelief. Harry felt anger rise up inside him. Nothing had ever been easy in his life. If some maniac wasn't trying to kill him, some idiot like Umbridge was trying to make his life miserable. Shaking his head, Harry tried to let go of the anger; Voldemort was defeated, so things would be easier.  
  
"Expelled? For good, like if you were at Hogwarts in your own time, you wouldn't be allowed to play Quidditch?" Sirius was still deeply traumatized.  
  
"Well, no, Dumbledore, gave me permission to play in my sixth year. . . " Harry trailed off. He felt the injustices of life burning in his stomach. Voldemort seemed to ruin everything.  
  
"So why didn't you?" Sirius said confused.  
  
"Er, I just had more important things to do," and after you died it just seemed like a stupid game, Harry added silently.  
  
"What exactly is more important than Quidditch?" Sirius still couldn't seem to grasp the situation.  
  
"Er, just keeping up on school work and stuff," and learning how to fight Voldemort and rescuing kidnapped friends from traitors, Harry thought bitterly.  
  
"But other than your fifth and sixth year, you played every other year. Right?" Sirius asked desperately.  
  
"Yeah, of course," Harry said automatically. Then he thought about the question, "well, er, not in my fourth year," Harry elaborated.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because Hogwarts didn't have Quidditch competitions that year," Harry said, glad that he could honestly say the reason he didn't play wasn't because he was in trouble.  
  
"What! They didn't have Quidditch," Sirius sputtered, outraged. Hesitating, Harry wasn't sure what to tell Sirius. Any mention of the Triwizard tournament would be extremely dangerous.  
  
"Eh, Hogwarts had another kind of competition going on," Harry ventured.  
  
"What kind of competition?" Sirius asked.  
  
"I can't say," Harry said nervously.  
  
"Ah, come on," Sirius whined.  
  
"No, I can't tell you, and besides I should get back to the library," Harry said firmly. Sirius had a disappointed look on his face, which Harry pointedly chose to ignore.  
  
"Fine," Sirius harrumphed, clearly annoyed. "Me and Remus will come help you in a while. He's in the Hospital wing," Sirius said as though daring Harry to ask why.  
  
"Fine. See you later," Harry said as he got up to leave.  
  
00000000  
  
Harry had spent the whole day in the library researching and Sirius and Remus never showed up. Slightly annoyed, Harry didn't know whether to be grateful they hadn't distracted him or annoyed they hadn't helped him.  
  
Harry was completely desperate to find anything on the Black Veil. Tomorrow was Monday and he had to leave. His encumbra potions supply was gone and he couldn't risk Voldemort finding out about him.  
  
Sighing, Harry gathered up an arm load of books to take back up to the Gryffindor tower. Harry was sure he would stay up another couple of hours, but knew he couldn't spend another night in the library; he was dead tired.  
  
Grabbing his books, Harry made his way out of the library and headed to his dormitory. He briefly began to wonder why Sirius and Remus hadn't shown up. Surely, if Sirius had tracked him down using the Marauder's Map to talk about his behavior, he would come back to the library when he had promised he would.  
  
Before Harry could wonder what had keep Sirius and Remus away he heard a strangled whimpering noise. Cocking his head to listen, Harry began walking down the stairs toward the noise. For a brief moment it stopped and Harry wondered if he had imagined it. But just as he was about to turn around Harry heard the noise and realized it was coming from a window at the top of the stairs.  
  
His arms full of books, Harry dashed towards the window and peered outside; it was too dark to see anything. Relieving his arms of the heavy books, Harry pulled out his wand and whispered "Lumos." Right next to the Forbidden Forest Harry could make out a shape that didn't belong there. Straining his ears, Harry thought the whimpers were coming from that area.  
  
Making an impulsive decision, Harry left his books under the window sill and ran down the flight of stairs, into the Great Hall, and out of Hogwarts' main entrance. As Harry panted for air, he opened the doors and flinched as the cold September night's air hit his face. Wishing he had a cloak, Harry wrapped his robes around him tightly and began to walk toward the Forbidden Forest.  
  
Harry could definitely hear something near the Forest but it was still too dark to see. Nervous, at what he might find, Harry slowly made his way toward the source of the sound.  
  
About ten feet away, Harry could tell it was definitely human shaped. Tentatively, Harry raised his wand, stepped forward, and gasped. By no stretch of imagination would Harry have guessed this was the source of noise.  
  
Snape. He was fastened to a tree, wearing nothing but his underwear. Shivering violently, he gave no sigh he noticed Harry's presence. Horrified, Harry realized Snape's eyes were swollen shut.  
  
Shaking his head, Harry recognized he needed to do something. He didn't care that Snape was a complete bastard; he wasn't going to leave him like this. Swallowing hard, Harry grabbed the knife out of his left sock and cut Snape lose. As he fell to the ground, Harry decided he looked like he had been trampled by a Hippogriff.  
  
"Whose there?" Snape mumbled barely conscious.  
  
"Er, me, Harry," he said nervously.  
  
"Oh, great. Another violent Gryffindor," Snape said sarcastically. Anger quickly rose in Harry, but it quickly faded away to disgust. Why would anyone do this to somebody? Snape was annoying, mean, and sarcastic, but how could a decent person do this to another living person? With a jolt to the stomach, Harry realized he had done worse. He had killed.  
  
"Can you walk?" Harry asked. The killings were in self-defense, Harry thought desperately.  
  
"Why are you helping me?" Snape asked suspiciously.  
  
"I doubt you'd leave me out here all night if are positions were reversed," Harry said firmly. Snape might have tried to humiliate him and make his life miserable, but he had saved Harry's life.  
  
"Very well, I do believe I can walk, if you help," Snape said skeptically. Harry reached down and helped Snape to his feet.  
  
"Here, hold on to the tree for a second." Snape grabbed the tree and Harry pulled off his robes. He was only wearing pants and a t-shirt beneath his robe and he shivered. Harry couldn't image how cold Snape must be. He handed Snape his robe and helped pull it on over his head. Grabbing Snape around the shoulders, they staggered off toward the castle.  
  
"Do you want to go to the Hospital Wing?" Harry inquired.  
  
"Just take me back to the Slytherin dormitories; I have a potion there that will heal me," Snape hissed.  
  
"A traitement Potion?"  
  
"Yes," Snape said suspiciously.  
  
"I have some, if you'd like it," Harry said cautiously.  
  
"You would let me have it?" Snape said with disbelief.  
  
"Well, you do need it more than I do," Harry said, starting to get annoyed with Snape.  
  
"Fine," Snape hissed. Harry roughly grabbed a case of vials out of his robes and began searching through the numerous different vials for the correct potion. Popping the cork out of a vial with yellowish liquid inside of it, Harry sniffed it, and then handed it to Snape.  
  
Snape also sniffed the potion cautiously, and then downed it in one gulp. His eyes began to un-swell and the bruises on his face began to fade, although he was still shivering uncontrollably. Stepping back, Snape gave Harry an appraising look.  
  
"This isn't a common potion," Snape informed.  
  
"I know," Harry said devoid of emotion. He wasn't sure how to feel.  
  
"How did you get it?"  
  
"I made it."  
  
"This is a very difficult potion to make, not to mention extremely powerful" Snape said.  
  
"I wouldn't waste my time carrying a weak potion around with me," Harry informed. Snape gave Harry another piercing look and stalked off towards the school. From his gait Harry could tell he hadn't been fully healed, but close enough. Suddenly a horrible thought struck Harry—  
  
"Who did this to you?" Harry shouted urgently to Snape. Snape turned around and scowled at Harry.  
  
"Your dear Gryffindor friends. Who else but Potter and Black?" He spat their names out like they were a curse and Harry stood there in the cold, still as a statue. His head was pounding and his heart was racing. His father and godfather had done that. Harry gulped down a lump in his throat and walked numbly into the castle.  
  
Listlessly, Harry made his way in to the Great Hall and continued walking. How his father had done that to another human being. . . Harry shook his head.  
  
He began to make his way up to Gryffindor Tower but changed his mind. He didn't want to sleep in the same room as them. Running his hand through his hair, Harry still felt stunned. How could they do that? Even if it was to Snape.  
  
Harry turned around. He couldn't face them, knowing what they had done. Vaguely recalling what Harry had seen his father do in Snape's Pensieve, he realized his father had probably done loads of horrible things to Snape. Feeling slightly sick, Harry turned a corner and ran into the last person he wanted to see.  
  
Walking down the hall was James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily. Observing James's black eye, Harry glared at them in disgust.  
  
Lily waved and said, "Hey Harry, you alright?" Harry didn't even respond. Giving James and Sirius one last revolted looked Harry strode past them without even saying a word.  
  
"Is he alright?" Lily asked turning around.  
  
"He's rather temperamental," James shrugged grabbing her arm. She looked indecisive for a moment and then followed James.  
  
Anger and fury were ragging inside of Harry. How he wished he had Ron or Hermione to talk to right now. How he wished none of this had never happened. Seeing what James had done to Snape in a Pensieve and seeing it first hand were completely different. Harry's stomach felt like Blast-Ended Skrewt was using is as a punching bag.  
  
Harry desperately wished none of this had ever happened. Tomorrow was Monday and he still didn't know how to save Sirius. All he had accomplished was learning that his father was a cruel bastard.  
  
Harry wandered the school, deep in thought, and was surprised to find himself in a familiar area. Smiling faintly, because something was finally going his way Harry thought, 'I need a place to sleep," over and over again walking down the same hall three times.  
  
A door suddenly appeared in the middle of the wall and Harry entered the Room of Requirement. Harry gasped, shocked. The room had transformed itself into his old cupboard. This was just what Harry needed. Flopping down on the small bed, Harry sighed. This was just what he needed and wanted. Longingly, Harry thought of when things were simple. He almost, but not quite, wished he could go back to when he was ten.  
  
Harry shut his eyes and remembered how innocent and relatively carefree he had been. Nobody's life depended on him. It wasn't up to him to defeat the most power dark wizard of all time. His biggest worry had been Dudley beating him up. Harry sighed and really wished he had never come back. Back then he had just been a child. His parents were still the perfect couple that had died in a car crash. A flying motor cycle was just a pleasant dream. . .  
  
Harry Potter tossed over onto his stomach and tried not to fall asleep. He knew the kind of nightmares he would have if he did. But after staying up in the library for too many nights in row, exhaustion over came Harry and he fell into a fitful sleep.  
  
00000  
  
"Remus, do you think we should see if Harry's alright?" Sirius whispered, as soon as James and Peter went to the kitchen to get food at midnight.  
  
"Maybe, he seemed really upset," Remus said quietly. "He acts so strangely some of the time."  
  
"I know, and I think we should keep an eye on him." Remus and Sirius went up and grabbed the Marauder's Map and started heading toward Harry.  
  
"He doesn't act much like James," Sirius commented.  
  
"I know. He seems. . . I don't. Mature, angry, powerful . . . he's just . . . I can't explain it," Remus gave up.  
  
"I know what you mean. When you look at him you know he's . . . been through a lot," Sirius ventured. Remus nodded.  
  
The two boys made their way to the seventh floor and stood where the doorway to Harry should have been.  
  
"Harry should be right there," Sirius pointed to the left looking at the Map. The two boys walked up and down the hall way several times, confused.  
  
"I wonder what we need to do to get to Harry," Remus said. Sirius began prodding the walls looking for a secret passageway.  
  
"We need a way to get to Harry," Remus mumbled. All of a sudden a door appeared in the wall. Glancing at each other Sirius and Remus entered the room.  
  
Inside, they found Harry sleeping on a bed in a small dusty cupboard. He was clinching his bed sheets with both hands and muttering. Sirius held up a finger to his mouth, telling Remus to be quiet. Remus looked uncomfortable. The two boys tried to listen to what Harry was saying in his dream.  
  
"Please," Harry whimpered. ". . . already killed Cedric . . . help me. . . mum. . . Voldemort's going to kill me. . . dad. . . Cedric's dead. . ." Harry continued to whimper in his sleep.  
  
Remus pulled on Sirius's sleeve and dragged him from the room. Shutting the door he starred at Sirius.  
  
"You don't think that really happened? Do you?" Remus said uncertainly.  
  
"Of course not, it was just a nightmare," Sirius said hesitantly.  
  
"Should we leave him here?" Remus said indecisively. Sirius shrugged. Giving each other nervous glances, they began to walk back to their dormitory.  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: I hope you liked it. Please review. I'll love you forever. 


	12. Unlikely Help

DISCLAMOR: Harry isn't mine.  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: This chapter is dedicated to everybody who reviewed last time. Thank you so much for all of the reviews. This story is only going to be a couple more chapters long, so enjoy the rest of it. Each chapter seems to be getting longer, hope you like.  
  
Chapter 12: Unlikely Help  
  
Harry Potter woke with a start. After putting on his glasses, Harry couldn't figure out for the life of him why he was in his cupboard. Surely, he was supposed to be at Hogwarts?  
  
After a moment of confusion, Harry remembered he had fallen asleep in the Room of Requirement. Trying to get the images of Cedric's dead body out of his mind, Harry got up. He shook his head and decided to go get breakfast; he hadn't eaten dinner the night before and he was starving. In fact he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten.  
  
As Harry walked down to the Great Hall he resolved not to think about James or Sirius; he would simply try to avoid them. When he reached Gryffindor table he sat at the opposite end of where the Marauders usually sat.  
  
Just as Harry began to eat a piece of toast Lily walked up to Harry and sat down next to him. After grabbing some pumpkin juice, Lily turned to face Harry.  
  
"How are you? You seemed upset last night," said Lily.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine. I was just being, er, irritable," Harry lied.  
  
"Did you have a bad day?" Lily queried. Harry wanted to tell Lily what James and Sirius had done, but refrained himself. He didn't know how Lily would react and didn't want to risk making her mad at James, just in case.  
  
"Um, I j-just spent too much time in the library," Harry said.  
  
"Really, I don't think I could ever be sick of spending time in the library. You wouldn't believe how much information I found on the Unforgivables," Lily informed.  
  
"Why were you researching the Unforgivables?" Harry said surprised.  
  
"Defense Against the Dark Arts . . . the homework assignment Quirrell gave us," Lily tried to jog Harry's memory. Harry looked at her blankly. "Quirrell gave us a twelve inch essay on the three Unforgivable Curses—you didn't forget, did you?" Lily asked stunned.  
  
Harry swallowed hard. He had completely forgotten about all of his homework. It had seemed insignificant compared to finding the incantation to get Sirius out of the Veil.  
  
"Boys," Lily muttered. "You're all the same, never thinking about school for a second," she sighed exasperated and started eating her breakfast.  
  
Harry tugged on his sleeves uncomfortably. Not only had he forgotten about his homework, he had overlooked the fact that he would be expected to go to class today. This was his last day to save Sirius and he would be sitting in some useless class. Thinking fast Harry stood up.  
  
"Hey, Lily, I'll see you later. I need to talk to Dumbledore," Harry said distractedly. Walking up to the Head Table, Harry tried to devise a plan. However, he never got that far. Dumbledore must have noticed Harry's approach, because he got up and walked over to Harry.  
  
"Harry, if you would follow me, I'd like a word with you," Dumbledore said gently. Harry feeling slightly off balance followed Dumbledore past the Head Table and down a side corridor, where they entered an empty room.  
  
"Yes, sir," Harry said hopeful for an explanation.  
  
"Last night I was taking a stroll around the castle and to my luck, tripped over a pile of books and fell down a flight of stairs." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.  
  
"Excuse me?" Harry said utterly bewildered.  
  
"Believe me, I was quite shocked myself. After dusting myself off, I marched right back up those stairs to see the cause of my tumble. To my delight, and your fortune, I found this," Dumbledore held out a book called Mysterious Traveling Devices for Mysterious Travelers. Harry felt heat rise in his face, remembering the stack of books he had set down in front of a window after seeing Snape. Dumbledore ignored Harry's reaction. "You might find chapter 32 rather enlightening."  
  
Harry couldn't believe his ears. This book could have the answer to save Sirius. His heart felt like it was flying to the moon.  
  
"T-Thank you, sir. You have no idea how much this means to me," Harry stuttered out in shock. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at him.  
  
"Oh, um, Headmaster would you mind if I missed class to read this?" Harry asked hopefully.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Harry. Your education is an important thing. No matter what time you are in, you need to attend school," Dumbledore said gently. Harry was too happy to care. He could risk staying in this time for a couple of hours without the encumbra potion to read this book.  
  
Smiling Harry went back into the Great Hall and sat down by Lily.  
  
"What was that about?" she questioned sharply.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Harry replied happily. Thinking it best not to annoy Dumbledore by not doing his homework, Harry took out a piece of parchment and started writing down everything he could remember about the Imperious Curse.  
  
"How long is this supposed to be?" Harry asked, worried.  
  
"A foot long," Lily replied briskly, as though very annoyed he hadn't done his homework properly. After several more minutes the Marauders walked up to where Harry and Lily were sitting.  
  
"Why are you sitting at this end of the table?" James asked.  
  
"Because Harry was sitting over here, by himself," Lily said calmly. James looked at Harry, expecting an explanation. Harry did not look up from writing his essay. Breathing deeply, he was trying to ignore the fury that swelled up in him the moment James and Sirius had walked over.  
  
"Haven't finished your essay yet? Neither have I," Sirius commented as he sat down next to Harry. The pounding in Harry's head was making it hard for him to concentrate. Sirius pulled out his own incomplete essay.  
  
"I'll let you copy some inches from mine, if you let me copy a couple inches," Sirius said cheerfully, ignoring the glares this got from Remus and Lily.  
  
"I'm not going to let you copy," Harry snarled. Harry picked up his piece of parchment, and book bag and stalked out of the Great Hall. Trying to get his temper under control, Harry counted to ten.  
  
James and Sirius are just idiotic kids, Harry thought dejectedly. They didn't know any better than to attack Snape, Harry tried to convince himself. When they attacked him, they were just being stupid and childish Harry reasoned.  
  
After sighing deeply, Harry made his way up to Defense Against the Dark Arts. He was early, so sat down outside the door and took out his essay to finish it. As he took the essay out, he was pleasantly surprised to realize he already had eleven inches and hadn't even started on the Cruciatus or the Killing Curse. He quickly finished the first section on the Imperious and easily jotted down what he new about the other two.  
  
Harry looked over his finished essay (twenty four inches) and decided being The-Boy-Who-Lived did have its advantages. After all who else would knew more about the Unforgivables than him? Shocked, Harry realized that he had survived Voldemort casting all three on him at different points in his life. Who else has done that? Harry thought angrily.  
  
Harry shook his head and stepped into the classroom. Nobody else was inside except for Quirrell. Feeling uncomfortable Harry turned around to leave, but— "Is there something you need?" Quirrell questioned.  
  
"No, I just got here early," Harry mumbled.  
  
"Well, sit down. I p-promise I won't bite," Quirrell said. Harry was forcefully reminded of Quirrell's future, the moment he stuttered. Dread filling his stomach, Harry sat down.  
  
"So, as a new professor to a new student, how do you like Hogwarts?" Quirrell asked conversational. Harry rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward.  
  
"Er, it's alright," muttered Harry.  
  
"Do you think it's harder or easier than being home schooled?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know, it's just, er, different." Harry was trying very hard not to think about the fact that he had killed this man when he was eleven; it was very disconcerting.  
  
"What do you think about the Unforgivables? I find the Killing Curse to be most fascinating," Quirrell continued. Harry was saved from answering by the arrival of other students.  
  
Sirius, James, and Peter sat down in the back away from Harry. Lily looked torn between Harry and James. After a brief moment she sat down next to James. However, Remus walked up to the front of the classroom and sat with Harry.  
  
"Are you all right?" Remus whispered to Harry as other students were filing into the class. Harry shook his head, no.  
  
He had never given much thought to the fact that he had killed Quirrell. Harry sighed and pushed the thought out of his head. It wasn't like he had a choice; it had been self-defense.  
  
Harry numbly realized the class was turning in their homework. Harry got his out and passed it into the turn in pile.  
  
"What's wrong?" Remus whispered concerned. Harry knew he shouldn't say anything, but this was his trusted Professor Lupin. He knew he could talk to Lupin. Hesitating, Harry didn't know where to start. How he wished he could talk with Ron or Hermione.  
  
"I, er, saw Snape last night," Harry whispered dully. Quirrell was just starting his lecture on the Imperius Curse.  
  
"Were you trying to get him to make you that potion?" Remus wondered.  
  
"No," Harry said sharply. "I found him tied up to a tree." Remus paled.  
  
"James?" he questioned.  
  
"And Sirius. I don't understand how they could do that to another person," Harry said sickened.  
  
"Snape does provoke them," Remus tried to justify. Harry shook his head in disgust and leaned back in his chair, fully ready to pretend to listen to the lecture. Remus glanced at him uncomfortably.  
  
Harry glared at Quirrell not really absorbing a word he was saying. Rage was boiling inside him. Rather than wasting the whole class period, Harry pulled out Mysterious Traveling Devices for Mysterious Travelers and tried to find the passage Dumbledore found on the Black Veil.  
  
"Mr. Smith," Quirrell addressed Harry. Completely oblivious Harry continued reading.  
  
"Could you answer the question, Mr. Smith?" Quirrell said louder. Remus nudged Harry.  
  
"Huh?" Several of the students laughed.  
  
"I asked, 'why can't every wizard use the Unforgivable Curses?'" Quirrell repeated.  
  
"Oh, that simple. First, all three spells require a lot of power and training in the Dark Arts. Second you have to mean the spell, not just say it," Harry said.  
  
"Could you clarify your second point, Mr. Smith?"  
  
"Er, like with the Cruciatus Curse you'd actually have to want to cause the person pain, not just curse them because you're angry with them," Harry said confidently.  
  
"Correct, in order to cast the Cruciatus Curse the caster genuinely has to want to cause the victim pain. . ." he continued on with his lectured.  
  
"How did you know that?" Remus whispered in amazement. Harry shrugged; he figured Remus would rather not know the truth: he had tried the curse on a Death Eater, failed, and then been critiqued by the before mentioned Death Eater.  
  
Harry spent the rest of the class reading chapter 32 of the book Dumbledore had given him. There was loads of information in the book, but Harry wasn't sure it had the information he was looking for.  
  
The book explained how Hermione had sent him into the past. Thinking back Harry vaguely remembered sneaking into the Department of Mysteries to use the Black Veil. Harry shook his head and tried to concentrate on the book, but his head was buzzing and his stomach was growling. 'The Black Veil cannot only transport a person to when they need to go, but where they need to go. Both features of transportation can not be used at the same time. However, the process—" Remus nudged Harry to get his attention.  
  
"Class is over. Time for Care of Magically Creatures." Remus and Harry stood up and exited the class room.  
  
"Look Harry," Remus broke of awkwardly. "You shouldn't be so hard on James and Sirius; they're only seventeen. I know they're probably a lot different than you remember them, but—"  
  
"They're kids. I know. . . it was just so shocking to see first hand what they've done," Harry said somberly.  
  
"You know Snape must have provoked them," Remus justified. Harry shrugged uncomfortably and decided to change the topic.  
  
"Dumbledore gave me a book that might have the solution to my problem in it," Harry said with subdued cheer.  
  
"Really that's great," Remus replied. Harry nodded, not sure what else to say.  
  
00000  
  
James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter arrived early to Care of Magically Creatures class. They sat down on the prickly grass and began to discuss their newest topic of gossip.  
  
"Do you think his parents punished him horribly for cheating on some assignment and that's why he blew up at you Sirius?" James speculated.  
  
Sirius shrugged, "I don't know."  
  
"He sure it unpredictable," Peter complained.  
  
"No kidding, you never know how he's going to react to a perfectly innocent comment," James stated. Sirius felt very awkward and began to wonder why Harry was like this. Unpredictable, angry, single-minded, Harry seemed completely different than James. Running his hands threw his hair, Sirius wondered just what had happened in Harry's life to make him behave like this.  
  
Sirius glanced back up at the castle and saw Harry and Remus walking down toward them. They seemed deep in conversation for a moment then ceased to speak. They approached silently and sat down.  
  
"Hey, Remus, with Harry's dislike of cheating and fondness of the library no wonder you two get along so well," Sirius joked tentatively. Harry forced a chuckle and Remus smiled faintly.  
  
"I finally have a studious friend," Remus commented. Before anybody could reply Professor Kettleburn started speaking to the class.  
  
"We will finish talking about the appropriate behavior around Hippogriffs in today's lesson. During class on Thursday we will actually get the pleasure of meeting some Hippogriffs, so please pay attention I don't want any accidents," Kettleburn said.  
  
Figuring he already knew how to deal with Hippogriffs, Harry took out his book and began reading again. Sirius and James began to play tick tack toe on a piece of parchment, while Remus, Lily, and Peter actually paid attention to the lecture.  
  
Class ended without any of the boys losing points for Gryffindor, which Lily noted was a first.  
  
Harry shoved Mysterious Traveling Devices for Mysterious Travelers into his book bag. He had read all of chapter 32 and skimmed some of the others, but the book didn't mention anything about getting somebody out of the Black Veil.  
  
Harry felt like he had a bucket of ice dropped into his stomach. It looked like this book didn't contain the answer to his problem. Standing up, he watched the class begin to head back to the castle. Surprisingly, the Marauders and Lily hadn't started back to Hogwarts.  
  
A thought suddenly struck Harry, Mysterious Traveling Devices for Mysterious Travelers must have been the book Hermione got the information in to send him back in time. Sighing, he realized that after a week of research, he was no further than where he started.  
  
Slowly and utterly depressed at the thought he might not be able to save Sirius, Harry made his way over to the Marauders. They were huddled in a circle and didn't notice his approach.  
  
"What do you think it is? Some sort of spirit?" Lily questioned.  
  
"I don't know; maybe it's just the wind," James tried to explain.  
  
"I don't feel any wind," Remus said reasonably.  
  
Breaking into the circle Harry cut into their conversation, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Look over there," James said as he gave Harry a measuring glance. He pointed toward the Forbidden Forest. Harry squinted in that direction and quickly saw what they were looking at. A tree had fallen on top of a thestral and it was struggling to get up, making the tree shake unnaturally.  
  
"What do you reckon it is?" Sirius asked.  
  
"It's a ghost," Peter squeaked.  
  
"Don't be stupid; it's just a thestral," Harry snapped. Walking over toward it, he saw it flap its skeletal wings frantically, making the tree shake worse than ever. Harry inhaled deeply, remembering the last time he had flown on one.  
  
"Stay away from it," Lily said alarmed. Harry looked into its strange white eyes and could tell it was in pain.  
  
"It's alright boy, I'm here to help," Harry said soothingly.  
  
"He's crazy," muttered Sirius. Harry was now within a foot of the thestral. He examined the tree and determined he could lift the tree off the thestral with a simple levitation spell.  
  
"Don't worry; I'm here to help," Harry said cautiously. The Marauders and Lily continued to watch Harry transfixed.  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa," Harry whispered. The tree slowly rose off the thestral and it struggled to its feet and limped away from the tree. Letting the tree fall back down, Harry walked over to the black creature. He could see that it was hurt. Its skeletal wings were in an unnatural position and the thestral's eyes were glossed over.  
  
"Well, it worked," Sirius said suddenly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The tree isn't moving anymore," Sirius pointed out. Harry wasn't paying attention. He knew that the creature was going to need medical attention. The thestral was still standing, but barely. Harry stared at it and it stared back.  
  
"Could one of you go get Hagrid; this thestral needs medical attention," said Harry. Nobody moved.  
  
"What needs help? I don't see anything," Lily stated.  
  
"You wouldn't." Everybody turned and starred at Remus in surprise. "You can't see a thestral, unless you've seen somebody die," he finished somberly. Everyone turned back to stare at Harry in shock.  
  
"If you guys won't get Hagrid, I will, but don't leave the thestral alone; it's injured," Harry said in annoyance.  
  
"It's alright, Harry I'll go get Hagrid," Sirius offered.  
  
"Me too," James added. The two of them walked off towards Hagrid's hut. The thestral lowered its head and sat down, unsettling dust. Peter jumped in surprise.  
  
"Did it just move?" he squeaked.  
  
"Yes," Harry replied tersely. He sat down next to the thestral and tentatively patted its scaly neck. "It's alright, help's coming."  
  
Peter turned to Remus and whispered quietly, "Who do you think he's seen die?" Remus shrugged, afraid of the answer.  
  
Soon, James and Sirius returned with Hagrid. Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry was glad to see Hagrid again. Hagrid looked younger, but mostly the same, enormous and friendly as ever.  
  
Hagrid slowly approached the thestral and bent down next to Harry.  
  
"Don' yer worry; he'll be fin.' I'll take care oh 'im in no time," Hagrid said.  
  
"Thanks Hagrid," Harry said relieved.  
  
"So, it is a thestral?" James asked. Harry shot him a look of irritation.  
  
"Hm, oh' course it is. Don' know wha' else it'd be," Hagrid said.  
  
"Will it be alright?" Lily asked.  
  
"Don' worry yerself, he'll be fine," Hagrid reassured her.  
  
After that the six Gryffindors made there way back up to Hogwarts. Harry was well aware of the looks he was getting from the other five but choose to ignore them. He was used to being starred at and he had more important things to worry about.  
  
The book Dumbledore had given him didn't look like it had the answer in it. As they sat down to eat Harry started debating with himself, whether he should return to his own time or risk staying. He couldn't risk Voldemort finding out who he was. Before he could reach a conclusion—  
  
"Harry, who did you see die?" Lily asked darkly.  
  
"Huh?" Harry stalled; he didn't need this right now.  
  
"Remus told us in order to see a thestral, you have to have seen someone die first," Lily said nervously.  
  
"Er, well, I did see somebody die," Harry said as he tried to think of a plan.  
  
"Really," Peter squeaked afraid.  
  
"Yes," Harry said evenly.  
  
"Who? What happened?" James said in trepidation. Remus and Sirius shot each other nervous looks.  
  
Harry wasn't sure what to say. He doubted they would react well to the truth: he had seen a classmate murdered by Voldemort, killed Wormtail, killed Voldemort, and seen Death Eaters killed by Aurors.  
  
They were all looking at Harry expecting an answer.  
  
"Er, well, you see, um this guy. . . a work friend of my fathers, well, it's was just a Quidditch accident," Harry stuttered out, well aware of what he sounded like.  
  
"A Quidditch accident?" James queried.  
  
"Er, yeah," Harry said sluggishly. Giving Harry a sharp look, Remus decided to intervene.  
  
"Leave him alone, I wouldn't want to talk about something like that," Remus said firmly.  
  
Lily nodded and added, "Of course, sorry to pry, Harry." Peter looked extremely uncomfortable and opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it.  
  
"So Harry, did you see the Daily Prophet this morning?" Remus tried to change the topic.  
  
"No, why?" he responded.  
  
"Prewett said Death Eaters have announced they're going to attack any muggle supporters, no matter how pure their bloodlines are," Remus reported. Harry vaguely remembered the name 'Prewett' but couldn't place where he had heard it.  
  
"Who's Prewett?" Harry asked causally. The Marauders and Lily gapped at Harry in shock.  
  
"Excuse me?" Lily said. "Even I know who Prewett is and I'm a muggleborn."  
  
"Wow Harry, did your parents keep you locked up in hole? Prewett is the Minister of Magic," Sirius said in a falsely joking tone.  
  
"Oooh Prewett," Harry said as if suddenly remembering something obvious. "Of course, how could I have forgotten?" Harry rolled his eyes and cringed inwardly. That had been a stupid mistake. His parents and Wormtail were still giving him odd looks, but he ignored them.  
  
Harry frantically searched through Mysterious Traveling Devices for Mysterious Travelers for the rest of lunch. Still without the incantation to save Sirius Harry made his way to Potions with Lily.  
  
They walked together in an awkward silence that neither of them tried to break. Potions passed without incident and when they were finally released, Harry all but ran to toward the Great Hall. He hadn't eaten all day and was starving.  
  
Sitting down, Harry began to pile food onto his plate. Lily sat beside Harry, and a moment after she sat down James reached their table.  
  
"How was Potions, Lily?" James asked.  
  
"Er, all right. My potion was more crimson than vibrant red, but it was close enough. You should have seen Harry's though," Lily said with slight amazement.  
  
"Huh?" Harry said; he had just been about to start eating.  
  
"Your Curatif potion was perfect and they're really difficult," Lily praised.  
  
"Oh, well I've had a lot of private instruction in Potions," Harry said bitterly remembering all of Snape's lessons during his fifth summer. Harry picked his fork back up—  
  
"Are your parents good at Potions?" James wondered.  
  
"Decent," Harry shrugged. Harry turned back to his food.  
  
"What do you mean 'decent,' your potion was brilliant?" Lily nagged. Now thoroughly annoyed that he hadn't managed to eat a bite of his food, Harry turned his full attention to Lily.  
  
"My mum is average in Potions, my father is horrible in Potions, and they didn't teach me anything about Potions. They hired a private instructor for that subject. Anymore questions?" Harry said evenly. Lily opened her mouth but didn't get a chance to speak. At that moment Sirius, Remus, and Peter all walked up.  
  
"You just know he's a Death Eater." Harry heard Wormtail telling Sirius and Remus. Harry's blood began to boil. Hearing the traitor who caused his parents deaths talking about somebody else being a Death Eater made Harry want to go into a rage. How dare he?  
  
Sirius and Remus were nodding in agreement with Wormtail. Completely turning away from his food, Harry stared at Wormtail.  
  
"Who's a Death Eater?" he asked coldly.  
  
"Snape," Wormtail replied nervously.  
  
"And how would you know?" Harry could feel his temper slipping out of control. He wanted to grab his pocket knife out of his sock and show Peter what happens to traitors.  
  
"Just look at him?" James responded.  
  
"Considering he had the shit beaten out of him yesterday, I don't think he looks to bad," Harry said coldly. James eyes widened in shock and his face paled.  
  
"What do you mean?" Lily asked suddenly anger herself. Afraid to split up his parents Harry decided to sidestep the question.  
  
"He has a light black eye," Harry shrugged.  
  
"Oh," Lily looked uncertain. "James you didn't have anything to do with it, did you?" Lily asked apprehensively.  
  
"No, of course not honey. Snape has plenty of other enemies," James lied shamelessly. Feeling vile raise in his throat, Harry shot a look at Remus; Remus shrugged.  
  
"He's completely vile," Peter declared.  
  
"He might not look the best, but Death Eaters aren't always as they appear," Harry snapped thinking of Sirius's supposed guilt, and Wormtail's innocence. All five Gryffindor's watched Harry uneasily.  
  
"So what do you think a Death Eater looks like?" Remus asked, hoping to dispel some of the tension.  
  
"Normal, they could look like anybody. That's why they're so hard to capture," Harry said evenly.  
  
"Snape's a Death Eater, I don't care what you say," Sirius declared.  
  
"He'd betray any of us to Voldemort in a heartbeat," Peter squeaked.  
  
Harry's insides burned in fury. Throwing all caution to the wind, Harry reached down and pulled out his pocket knife. He flicked out the blade and ran it over his hand. It was strangely calming.  
  
Everything seemed to come into focus for Harry. Nothing Wormtail said mattered. He had already killed Wormtail with the very knife he was holding. Harry felt unbelievingly tranquil with that blade in his hands. He stared at it transfixed.  
  
"Um, Harry are you alright?" Remus asked.  
  
"Fine," Harry answered calmly.  
  
"Why do you carry that knife around?" Sirius asked.  
  
"It's a gift from a loved one," Harry said carefully.  
  
"Strange gift," Remus commented as he watched Harry run the blade between his fingers. Harry sighed as his blood pressure started to return to normal.  
  
"What do you think you're doing with that knife? Kill someone," Sirius said flippantly.  
  
"No," Harry snapped.  
  
"Relax, I was joking," Sirius said slightly defensively.  
  
"Well, that's not funny. Would you laugh if I had killed somebody with this knife?" Harry said looking intently at Sirius.  
  
"Er, no," Sirius said unsure of himself.  
  
"Then don't 'joke' about things like that," Harry snapped as he put the knife back in his pocket.  
  
Before anyone else could say anything the object of their argument interrupted them.  
  
"Smith," Snape called. Oblivious that he was being addressed, Harry began to moodily move food around on his plate.  
  
"Smith," Snape said louder this time. Harry continued to look at his plate.  
  
"Are you going to answer him?" Remus asked.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Snape." "Oh," he said, as he looked up.  
  
"Smith, could I speak with you in private," Snape sneered. Wondering why Snape would want to talk with him, Harry stood up.  
  
"Don't go with him; he's dangerous," Lily warned. Snape sneered back at her.  
  
"Don't worry. I can take care of myself," Harry responded coldly. All five Gryffindors gave Harry disbelieving looks as he left the table with Snape.  
  
Sirius and Remus were completely bewildered as to why the son of James Potter would be consorting with an assumed Death Eater. They felt stunned, but not all together surprised. Remus reasoned that if Snape provided Harry with the Encubra Potion, in the future, Snape couldn't be entirely bad.  
  
"You don't think he's a Death Eater?" James said incredulously.  
  
"I doubt it," Remus said. But suddenly for a moment he wasn't sure. Harry was constantly lying and Snape was helping him in the future, by providing him with a potion he needed. Why would Snape give anything to his worst enemy's son? Remus tugged on his sleeves nervously and bit his lip.  
  
"He just seems so strange," Sirius said uncertainly.  
  
"Let's go to Hogsmead to night," Peter suggested.  
  
"Peter!" Lily admonished. The Marauders ignored her.  
  
"I don't want to sleep in the same room as him tonight. I get the feeling he might slit my throat in my sleep," Peter said nervously.  
  
"He wouldn't," Sirius said unconfidently.  
  
"Going to Hogsmead would be fun," James commented. Remus started to ignore the conversation and began flipping through the book Harry had left on the table.  
  
"But you'd be breaking a major school rule," Lily protested.  
  
"We won't get caught," James said confidently. Lily rolled her eyes angrily.  
  
"Honestly, I'm not going to listen to you plan to break rules. I'm going to the library." Lily got up and left.  
  
"So what do you say?" James looked at the other three expectantly. Sirius and Peter nodded.  
  
"Remus?"  
  
"I'm not sure. You saw the Daily Prophet. Death Eaters are going to be more active now; it'll be more dangerous than usual," Remus whispered.  
  
James leaned close to Remus and whispered back, "We might have a Death Eater sleeping in our dormitory. I'm willing to take a chance at Hogsmead." Remus nodded agreement. The three boys broke up their huddle and began eating, as they whispered in conspiratorially voices their plans for that night.  
  
0000000  
  
Nervously, Harry followed Snape in to an empty classroom. They hadn't spoken the whole way there and Harry couldn't image why Snape would want to talk with him.  
  
Snape shut the door to the classroom and sat on top of a desk. Harry looked at Snape perplexed.  
  
"What do you want?" Snape snapped.  
  
"Er, nothing. You wanted to talk with me," Harry pointed out confused.  
  
"Obviously. I mean," Snape began to talk slowly as if Harry was extremely stupid, "what do you expect in return for helping me last night." Snape glared resentfully at Harry.  
  
"Er, nothing," Harry replied uncomfortably.  
  
"I pay my debts, Smith," he hissed angrily. Abruptly, hope rushed threw Harry. Snape's help was exactly what Harry needed.  
  
"So, you mean you'll do something for me," Harry said cautiously.  
  
"Yes, Smith. To return the favor," Snape said once again in a tone that indicated he thought a flobberworm would show more intelligence than Harry.  
  
"Would you make me a potion?" Harry said tensely. All of his hopes were placed on this question; he would get the time he needed.  
  
"What potion?" Snape said suspiciously. "Why would you need me to make it?"  
  
"It's too difficult for me to make, but I've seen how talented you are; I'm sure you could make it," Harry said nervously. "Most of the ingredients are pretty common, except for snake venom and ashwood of cinder." Harry frenetically hoped the young Snape would be up to the challenge.  
  
"Snake venom?"  
  
"Yes from a cobra, do you think you can do it?" Harry asked anxiously.  
  
"What potion is it?" Snape said.  
  
"It's experimental, hasn't been named," Harry evaded the question.  
  
"Snake venom and ashwood of cinder won't be a problem, but I'll need to see the directions for making the potion, before I can make you any promises," Snape said coldly.  
  
"I'll get you the directions right now," Harry offered.  
  
"Fine," Snape said unenthusiastically.  
  
000000  
  
Harry dug threw his trunk, grateful that the Marauders were elsewhere in the castle. Near the empty vile of encubra potion Harry found the directions for the potion and read it over carefully. 'Add three tablespoons of essence of hellebore and stir clockwise five and 2/3 times.' Running his hands through his hair, Harry hoped that Snape would be able to make the potion.  
  
Harry ran back down to where Snape was waiting for him and handed him the directions. Snape read them over carefully and nodded.  
  
He muttered, "Never seen such a complicated potion before," so quietly Harry wasn't sure he had heard him.  
  
"Can you brew it?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm not an idiot," Snape snapped. "You know this potion borders on the Dark Arts?"  
  
"I'm not an idiot," Harry repeated back to Snape automatically. Actually he was surprised to know the potion bordered on the Dark Arts, but he had never made it. He wasn't that good at potions.  
  
"What is this supposed to do?" Snape asked haughtily, as he stared down his large nose at Harry.  
  
"That's none of your business," Harry said firmly glaring straight back at Snape.  
  
"It will take three days to make," Snape informed Harry. Harry nodded. Snape stalked off towards the dungeons and Harry let out a sigh of relief. He had another chance. Getting through the next three days with out the potion would be difficult, but he knew he would manage. He would just have to try and use Occlumency for the next three days.  
  
Exhausted, Harry went back up to the seventh year dormitories. Deciding he wasn't going to research this night Harry lay down on his bed and instantly fell asleep.  
  
00000  
  
"Remus, I reckon you might have been right," James whispered quietly.  
  
"You don't think they could be Death Eater's do you?" Sirius asked. The Marauders exchanged glances.  
  
"No need to worry. They aren't," a voice from behind them said. All four boys turned around to find themselves face to masked face.  
  
"Petrificus Totalus." All four boys dropped to the ground.  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: I was thinking about writing a separate story about how and why Harry killed Wormtail. So please tell me if you would be interested in seeing that. Please review. I'll love you. 


	13. The Night

DISCLAMIOR: Harry's not mine. Too bad.  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: Thanks for all the reviews last time. I tried to update quickly, because of the cliffhanger. Hope you enjoy this. Please review.  
  
Chapter 13: The Night  
  
/ "M-my Lord, what is it?"  
  
"This book is only half of what I need," hissed Voldemort. The addressed Death Eater flinched in anticipation.  
  
"W-what else do you need, my Lord?" the Death Eater asked fearfully.  
  
"Access to the Department of Mysterious. They have tightened the security since our last raid," came the dangerously low reply. Picking up an ebony book, Voldemort hurled it at the Death Eater. He squeaked in response.  
  
"Is there anything I could do?" he asked timidly.  
  
"Apparently not, Crucio," Voldemort said lazily. Voldemort watched the man twitch and scream for several minutes before canceling the spell. "I expect better from you in the future. Dismissed." With a pop the Death Eater disappeared. Voldemort snapped his fingers and the ebony book flew back into his fingers. Snarling, Voldemort slammed the book down.  
  
"Flayingworth come," Voldemort said as he flicked his wand. Immediately, a Death Eater apparated to the scene. He fell to his knees, crawled over to Voldemort and kissed the hems of Voldemort's robes.  
  
"Rise," Voldemort commanded. Flayingworth stood, eyes directed toward the ground. "How is project 'Blood traitors' coming?"  
  
"We have four captured right now, my Lord," he replied. Voldemort sneered.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Sirius Black, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin; all Gryffindors, my Lord" he said apprehensively.  
  
"Sirius Black . . . interesting. Pure blood family and proper upbringing, and yet he still associates with mudbloods," Voldemort said thoughtfully. "Where are they?"  
  
"Caves near Hogsmeade, my Lord" Flayingworth ventured.  
  
"Kill Black slowly in front of the others, and Potter, then bring the other two to me," Voldemort ordered.  
  
"Yes, my Lord." /  
  
00000  
  
Harry Potter woke up gasping. Covered in sweat, and gripping his head, he stood up. Black dots danced in front of his eyes, but he didn't stop moving. Harry rushed to his trunk and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak; he had to help them.  
  
Harry ran down to the Common Room, stumbling down the stairs. His head swimming in blackness, he stopped in fear that he would black out. He placed his hand on a nearby chair, and breathed deeply.  
  
A nagging voice that sounded like Hermione's filled that back of his head, 'Harry you can't interfere. You can't change the past.'  
  
Harry knew he shouldn't meddle with time, but he had come to the past to save Sirius, he couldn't let him be killed. Harry felt like his head was filled with fog.  
  
What if he was meant to travel back in time to save them and didn't? But what if he wasn't supposed to interfere? Harry ran his hands through his hair nervously. What if it had just been a dream?  
  
No, his scar was tingling painfully, the connection was real. What if it was a false vision? Harry shook his head, Voldemort didn't know about the connection yet, he couldn't give Harry a fake vision.  
  
Sighing, and mentally snapping at Hermione, Harry turned to go back up the stairs to his dormitory. As his foot hit the first step his scar gave a painful stab. Wincing, Harry ran up to his dormitory put on some lose fitting robes, and grabbed all his available potions and put them in the robes Harry spun on his heal and left the dormitories.  
  
As the Fat Lady swung open (giving him reproachful looks), Harry slipped under the Invisibility Cloak.  
  
Harry ran as swiftly as he could to the statue of the humpedback witch and jumped in to the secret passageway. Clutching a stitch in his side, Harry ran all the way to Honeydukes.  
  
As it was past midnight, nobody was in Honeydukes and Harry left the shop without incident. Harry clasped his cloak tightly over him, afraid it would slip open. The village was almost deserted. A few homeless hags laid motionless in alleyways, but that was all.  
  
Breathing as quietly as he could, and moving with silent haste, Harry made his way past the Shrieking Shack. Almost involuntarily, Harry looked for the moon; it was obscured by thick clouds, as were the stars. Harry again wrapped his cloak closer round him to ward off the chill.  
  
Harry reached the edge of the village and jumped over the fence, stumbling and falling to his knees. The cloak slipped off of him. He lunged and grabbed it. Throwing it over his shoulders, Harry continued toward the caves. Dimly, he could see a glow coming from a smaller cave towards the south side of the hill. As Harry walked father from the village, it grew darker and darker, until he couldn't see his own hands in front of him. Stumbling along, Harry moved closer to the caves.  
  
Harry was forcefully reminded of another time he was lost in darkness. Suddenly, a wave of apprehension filled Harry. He didn't want this to end the same way. He didn't want anybody to die.  
  
The caves were slowly approaching. Nervously, Harry ran his fingers over his scar. He closed the gap between himself and the caves and willed himself to gather his courage. Not that he was afraid.  
  
After checking to make sure he was still fully invisibly Harry peered into the cave. Sirius was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood. Harry fought the impulse to run to him. His breathing was coarse and his heart was pounding. Think, he told himself. James, Peter, and Lupin were tied up with ropes in the back. With a feeling of foreboding, Harry pulled his pocket knife out of his sock and flicked the blade out.  
  
Slowly Harry counted. There were a total of five Death Eaters. Not terrible odds, Harry decided. Suddenly his attention was drawn back to Sirius. He was starting to regain consciousness. The Death Eaters crowded around him.  
  
"Should we kill him yet," one grunted.  
  
"Don't you touch him," James shouted as he struggled against his bonds. The Death Eaters just laughed.  
  
"Nah, we haven't even hit him with the Cruciatus yet," another snickered.  
  
With a vague plan in mind, Harry picked up several pebbles and entered the cave. Three of the Death Eaters were surrounding Sirius and the other two were guarding the tied up Marauders.  
  
Harry walked past Sirius, trying not to look at him. When he made it in between the two groups of Death Eaters, Harry pulled out his wand and balanced it in the same hand that held the pebbles. Harry was planning on throwing the pebbles just outside the cave to distract the Death Eaters, and then quickly stun the two that were guarding the boys. Followed by cutting them lose with his knife and having them help stun the other Death Eaters.  
  
Cringing, Harry realized they would need their wands. Looking around for them, Harry nearly jumped when Sirius let out a scream of pain. The Death Eaters were breaking his bones with some sort of hex. Harry could hear the bones snap. After a tense ten seconds, Harry spotted the wands. They were just behind the two guarding Death Eaters.  
  
Edgily, Harry tried to silence his breathing as he reached behind the Death Eaters toward the wands. Luckily, they were distracted by Sirius screaming. Without daring to breath, Harry leaned past them—  
  
"TOUCH HIM AGAIN AND I'LL KILL YOU" James unexpectedly raged. Harry jumped in terror at the sudden noise and bumped into the nearest Death Eater, falling down as his Invisibility Cloak slipped.  
  
Instantly nine pairs of eyes were on Harry; he started acting before he could even think about what he was doing. Harry quickly cast the Defensive Charm ("protego") on himself and stunned the nearest Death Eater.  
  
"Furnunculus," the spell bounced off Harry's Shield harmlessly. Harry reached inside his robes and grabbed a vile full of a blue potion. He threw the vile down shattering it. Quickly the air filled with a dark haze. Now, nobody could see.  
  
Harry jumped—  
  
"Crucio," a Death Eater hissed. The curse barely missed Harry. Getting to his feet Harry wrapped his Invisibility Cloak around himself. Harry threw the pebbles away from him and listened as to where the Death Eaters hexed blindly from.  
  
"Stupefy," Harry whispered and quickly moved positions. He heard the Death Eater hit the ground. He heard the other two try to curse him and, then too, move positions. Two down three to go, Harry counted.  
  
"Freio," a Death Eater said calmly. Suddenly the air cleared and everything was visible, except Harry who was under his Invisibility cloak.  
  
"Petrificus Totalus." Another Death Eater dropped.  
  
"Vento," the same Death Eater said calmly. A strong wind suddenly filled the cave. Thrashing wildly, the cloak slipped from Harry's grasp.  
  
"Expelliarmus," the second Death Eater yelled.  
  
"Protego." The spell bounced off Harry's shield. "Stupefy." Only one Death Eater left.  
  
"Imperio," he sneered. Harry's shield broke. A white fog seemed to fill his brain and he felt oddly pleasant.  
  
'Put down your wand."  
  
'No,' Harry argued.  
  
'Put down your wand."  
  
"NO," Harry screamed out loud, the white fog gone. Harry and the Death Eater both reached for their wands. The Death Eater was quicker.  
  
"Crucio," he hissed. Pain coursed through Harry's body and his scar throbbed. Every nerve of his body was on fire and he was screaming louder than he ever had before in his life.  
  
He bite threw his lip and clutched his open pocket knife, drawing blood from his hand. Harry started slamming his head down against the floor. Abruptly, the pain stopped. Harry lay there gasping for air, spitting blood out of his mouth.  
  
Harry tried to struggle to his feet, but the Death Eater brutally shoved him back down. Dully Harry looked at his bloody hand and realized the Death Eater had taken his wand.  
  
"Worthless, little mudblood," the Death Eater taunted. Giving one of his unconscious companions a glance, he raised his wand. "My master won't care if I kill this filth, after the problems you've caused, "Avada—"  
  
Before Harry knew what he was doing, he lunged upwards with his pocket knife and stabbed the Death Eater in the stomach. In a panic, Harry stabbed him twice more. The Death Eater fell back and dropped both wands.  
  
With an expression of horror, Harry stood up and stared at the dying man, riveted by the site. Blood was rushing from the fallen Death Eater; he had murdered yet another person. He had just killed someone in front of his father, well the Death Eater wasn't dead yet. Harry could feel the bile rising in his throat; he fell to his knees and dropped the knife.  
  
It was covered in blood. His hands were covered in blood. Crimson was everywhere.  
  
"Harry, Harry, untie us," James urged. His father had seen him do this. He could still hear the Death Eater gasping for air. Dry heaving, Harry tried to get to his feet.  
  
Maybe it wasn't too late. Standing up quickly, and grabbing his knife, Harry cut the three boys free. In a panic Peter ran toward the cave exit, stumbled and hit his head on a rock, knocking himself unconscious. James and Remus stood completely still without a clue what to do. Harry thrust their wands at James and Remus. Unsteadily they took them.  
  
Remus looked as if he was about to faint, but James looked strangely determined.  
  
"I-I've, you've," Harry started to say to James, but James coming out of his trance, ran over to Sirius and started frantically whispering healing spells.  
  
"He's going to die," Harry said horrified.  
  
"Sirius isn't going to die," James snapped, misunderstanding Harry. Knelling over the Death Eater, Harry tried to slow the bleeding by putting pressure on the wounds. Blood was pouring onto Harry.  
  
"I'm gonna be alrigh'," Sirius grunted. James and Remus both let out a sigh of relief, although Sirius was still struggling to breath.  
  
"What should we do?" James wondered, turning to Harry. He was still kneeled over the Death Eater. Remus moved toward him.  
  
"Harry," he said quietly. Harry didn't hear.  
  
"Please don't die, I don't want to be a murderer, I don't want anyone else to die because of me. Please don't die," he whispered frantically. Hands shaking violently, Harry reached inside his robes for the traitement healing Potion, but remembered he had given the last of it to Snape. "You can't die," Harry croaked.  
  
The Death Eater looked cadaverous and was trembling uncontrollably.  
  
"Harry?" James questioned. Suddenly, Harry snapped out of a daze.  
  
"You have to help him," Harry demanded.  
  
"He's a Death Eater," James protested indignantly.  
  
"He's going to die," Harry yelled hysterically.  
  
"So, he tortured all of us," Sirius suddenly growled.  
  
"I DON'T WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANOTHER PERSON'S DEATH!" Harry screamed on the verge of losing all control. "HELP HIM." Harry grabbed his wand off the ground.  
  
Sighing, Harry slumped back down to the floor and started muttering to himself, "I don't want to kill anyone, I didn't mean it. I don't want to be a murderer."  
  
"James, he's a Death Eater, but you can't let him die," Remus tried to reason. "Let him go to Azkaban. Maybe the Ministry could use him for information."  
  
"Fine," James muttered. He walked over to the Death Eater and crouched down beside Harry, who was covered in blood. James started whispering healing spells. Harry began to regain his senses.  
  
"Remus, help me tie up the other Death Eaters, just in case," Harry ordered remembering Mad-Eye's lessons.  
  
Just as they got the four Death Eaters tied up, there were three loud pops. Quickly ducking down, Harry pulled out his wand ready to attack.  
  
Three Aurors appeared out of thin air and quickly surveyed the scene. Harry vaguely recognized two of the Aurors.  
  
"Drop your wands," the Auror with a round face said.  
  
"Prove you're on our side," Harry said darkly. James, Remus, and Sirius, all dropped their wands. Peter was still unconscious. The Aurors looked at Harry nervously. His hands were trenched with blood and his face was smeared in it. They glanced between the injured Death Eater and Harry.  
  
"Drop your wand," the Auror with black hair said. Harry looked uncertain, but his wand hand didn't waver. Moody had done a good job teaching Harry how to be paranoid. Seeing Harry's indecision, the brown haired Auror decided to intervene.  
  
"I'm Frank Longbottom, were Aurors from the Order of the Phoenix. We were called about a disturbance in this area. We can help you," a familiar round face said. Harry breathed deeply and throwing caution to the wind dropped his wand.  
  
"I don't want anybody to die because of me," Harry said helplessly, gesturing to the dying Death Eater. Harry fell down to the ground and ran his hands threw his hair.  
  
Longbottom nodded and walked over to the injured Death Eater. He looked the Death Eater up and down.  
  
"He's not going to die," Longbottom informed Harry gently. Shuddering, Harry let out a huge sigh of relief.  
  
"Are you a Hogwarts student?" Longbottom asked Harry. Harry didn't respond.  
  
"Frank, he was home schooled, but started going to Hogwarts this year," James answered for Harry. Longbottom nodded.  
  
"Thanks James," Longbottom replied. "You alright?" James nodded. Longbottom turned and looked questioningly at Remus. He also nodded an affirmative.  
  
"Billy, Jason can you two take the Death Eaters to the Ministry?" Longbottom asked the other two Aurors.  
  
"No problem, Frank. Are you going to take these five back to Hogwarts?" one asked. Frank nodded.  
  
"Can you all walk?"  
  
Harry, James, Sirius and Remus replied, "Yes."  
  
Peter was still unconscious.  
  
"Ennervate," one Auror cast on Peter.  
  
Peter slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"What's going on?" he squeaked looking around.  
  
"Frank's taking us back to Hogwarts," James explained. Harry rose to his feet and stood exhaustedly. Sirius tried to rise but fell.  
  
"Maybe I can't walk," Sirius grunted.  
  
"They broke at lot of his bones," James said somberly.  
  
"Ill stay with him, you take the other three to Hogwarts," Jason offered. Harry, James, Remus, and Peter exited the cave with Frank.  
  
Harry felt numb. He shouldn't have gotten involved; the Aurors would have saved the Marauder's and now he had seriously interfered with the past. Harry again ran his hands through his hair, now sticky with blood.  
  
"Guys, I'm sorry to question you now but I need to know what happened," Frank prompted. James opened his mouth to speak then closed it.  
  
"Please, James, I need to know," Frank asked.  
  
"Er, we decided to go visit Hogsmeade and when we were walking past the Hog's Head we saw some dangerous looking people. When we were looking at them a group of Death Eaters snuck up behind us and attacked us," James said tiredly. He paused, not wanting to continue.  
  
"And?" James shook his head at the memory. Remus took up the story.  
  
"They stunned us and took us to the cave. Er, they tied up, me, James, and Peter, put Sirius on the floor and started," Remus broke off.  
  
"Hurting him," Longbottom said gently. James and Remus nodded. Peter squeaked.  
  
"Breaking his bones, burning, cutting. . ." James trailed off.  
  
"Did they tie you up too?" Frank asked Harry. "And what's your name?"  
  
"Er, Harry S-smith. I wasn't there yet," Harry said very worried; he knew he was in a lot of trouble. He really shouldn't have gotten involved.  
  
"So what happened next?"  
  
"Sirius fainted," James said dully. "So, er, they stopped torturing him and started trying to convince us to join the Death Eaters," James spat with disgust. Remus took up the story again looking nervously at Harry.  
  
"When Sirius woke up, they started, er, you know." Remus didn't want to say the word 'torturing.' "And that's when Harry came in. I, er, told him we were going to Hogsmeade, but he didn't want to come because it was against the rules," Remus said in a rush. Harry, James, and Peter looked at him in shock. Frank looked at Harry for an explanation.  
  
"Er, I, um, changed my mind," Harry said lamely. "I ran here to Hogsmeade and, er, saw them attacked from quite a ways off. I was going to go get help, but I, er, want to be an Auror so decided it was my chance to, um, prove myself," Harry lied. Remus, James, and Peter were well aware us this. Frank looked disapprovingly at Harry.  
  
"Even Aurors need backup, Harry," Longbottom told him firmly. Harry nodded in agreement.  
  
"What did you do once you got to the cave?" Harry briefly started relating the events. When he got to the point where the Death Eater cast Imperio on him, he hesitated. Harry wasn't sure it was a good idea to tell anyone else he could fight off that curse. Unfortunately, James decided to pick up the story.  
  
"The last Death Eater, cast Imperio on him and Harry fought it off," James said amazed. Frank looked at him in astonishment.  
  
"You fought it off?" Frank said disbelievingly. Harry just nodded.  
  
"But after he fought it off the Death Eater hit him with Crucio," James then broke off and shuddered. All the boys paled at the memory.  
  
"Crucio, sure is nasty," Longbottom commented. Harry felt like he had been punched in the stomach as he remembered Frank Longbottom's fate.  
  
"After the Death Eater grabbed Harry's wand, he lifted the curse. He started to put another curse on Harry, but that's when Harry stabbed him," Remus said somberly.  
  
"What curse?" Longbottom asked.  
  
"It wasn't familiar," James said.  
  
"You're joking. You don't know what he was going to do?" Harry snapped incredulously.  
  
"Ill I heard him say was 'avada' I don't know what curse that is," James snapped back.  
  
"Avada?" Longbottom asked darkly. The boys nodded. "That's the beginning of the killing curse." Peter squeaked and James and Remus got even paler.  
  
"That's why you stabbed him," Remus said. "If you hadn't you would have died." His words rung eerily through Harry's ears.  
  
"I don't want to kill anybody," Harry said quietly, his eyes haunted.  
  
"Alright, I can figure out the rest myself," Frank said as they approached a house. Frank knocked on the door. All four boys waited silently.  
  
"Who is it?" a voice came from behind the door after several minutes.  
  
"Me, Frank and some boys from Hogwarts. I need to use your fire place to Floo Dumbledore," Frank called. The door opened. A middle aged witch had her wand lit and pointed at them. Taking in their badgered appearance, she let them in.  
  
Frank walked over to her fire place, kneeled down, threw in some Floo powder and called Dumbledore. After a few minutes conversation Frank stood back up. He handed them some Floo powder and told them to go to the Hospital Wing.  
  
Saying, "Hogwarts Hospital Wing," Peter jumped into the fire. Harry stood there dreading his moment of departure. When he saw Dumbledore, he was going to have to face what he did. He seriously interfered with the past; Dumbledore was bound to be furious.  
  
Giving Harry a look which meaning was lost on him, Remus jumped in the fire next. Harry had no idea what he was going to tell the Marauders; they weren't going to believe some half thought out lie.  
  
James jumped in the fire next leaving Harry alone with Frank.  
  
"You ready?" Frank asked bring Harry out of his stupor. Harry nodded, took the Floo powder and jumped into the fire.  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: I haven't really written many action scenes so I hope I did alright. The next thing I'm going to write is a story on how Harry killed Wormtail, which will go along with this one. It's going to be a separate one shot story, so the next chapter probably won't be done until a couple of weeks, but I'll try to update before July 16th. Please review. 


	14. A New Source of Help

DISCLAMOR: Don't own Harry Potter.  
  
AUTHOR NOTES: Sorry I haven't updated. I went on vacation to Europe for two weeks. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review it.  
  
Chapter 14: A New Source of Help  
  
"Who are you really?" James's words pounded into Harry's skull like a hammer. They echoed around his head over and over again. Numbly, Harry fingered his lightning bolt scar.  
  
Who was he really, Harry wondered. He was the Boy-Who-Lived; savior of the wizarding world. He was the boy who lived in a cupboard under the stairs. He was an orphan. He was Harry Potter.  
  
"Who do you think?" Harry replied back dully. Before James could answer Madame Pomfery bustled back into the Hospital Wing, four vials of potion in her hand.  
  
"Are we in trouble?" Remus asked quickly.  
  
"That is for Dumbledore to decide. And I am sure he will tell you as soon as he has made his decision. In the meanwhile you need rest. Take this," Pomfery ordered as she firmly handed Remus a vial of potion. Looking too afraid to protest Remus gulped down the whole potion and instantly fell asleep.  
  
Pomfery walked past Harry's bed and handed the next vial to Peter, who drank it without protest. James, as expected, did not submit as easily.  
  
"Is Sirius alright? I want to talk to Dumbledore," James demanded. "And I don't need a sleeping potion."  
  
"You are far too weak to do much of anything right now. You need rest," Pomfery informed James.  
  
"I'm not 'too weak,' I was barely injured," he protested as he glared intently at the nurse.  
  
"James Potter, are you going to make my force feed this to you?" she asked sternly. Luckily, at that moment, the door creaked open and Dumbledore entered the room along with a girl sporting bushy chestnut hair and blue eyes.  
  
"Ah, James is still awake I see. I thought Madame Pomfery was giving you a sleeping potion," Dumbledore said gently.  
  
"Huh?" James asked. He had been examining the girl next to Dumbledore who was looking intently back at him. It seemed as if she was studying him and was slightly disturbed by what she saw.  
  
"I know you don't want to, but I would ask that you take the sleeping potion Madame Pomfery is offering you." Dumbledore said the words gently but James knew it was an order, not a request. James suddenly realized how tired he was. It was in the middle of the night and the events of the past few hours had drained him. Sighing James took the potion without another word.  
  
Dumbledore and the girl turned to Harry. Harry was vaguely reminded of Hermione and her unruly hair. Harry sighed and ran his hands threw his own messy hair.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone to talk," Dumbledore said with a mysterious smile and walked from the room along with Pomfery. Utterly exhausted, Harry was bewildered by Dumbledore's odd behavior.  
  
"Harry?" the girl asked.  
  
"Yes," Harry responded, wishing Madame Pomfery had given him some of the sleeping potion too.  
  
Suddenly, the girl ran up to Harry and flung her arm around him.  
  
"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. I should have never sent you into the past. I knew it was d-dangerous. But you were so depressed about Sirius; I had to do something. Oh Harry, I'm so sorry. I never thought you were going to end up fighting Death Eaters or anything like that." Harry stared at the girl more confused than ever.  
  
"H-hermione?" Harry asked hesitantly.  
  
"Oh course it's me, Harry," Hermione informed him.  
  
"Er, could you explain what's going on?" Harry asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded.  
  
"After sending you into the past, Ron and I went back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore was waiting for us to return and immediately asked us to go up to his office. My goodness, I was terrified we were going to be expelled. After all we did break seven laws to send you back in time. Anyway, as usual Dumbledore surprised me. He simply told me that he remembered me from the past as well as you. So one thing led to another and here I am. Dumbledore wouldn't tell me how we found the incantation to bring Sirius back, but he did tell me I'm only going to be here for another couple of days. So have you made any progress?"  
  
"Er, not much. But Hermione did Dumbledore tell you that I rescued the Marauders from Death Eaters?" Harry asked nervously.  
  
"Yes, and he said not to worry; you didn't change the future. You were meant to save them," Hermione said disapprovingly. "But you really ought to be careful not to do anything else so risky. Time travel is extremely dangerous."  
  
"Hermione how come you didn't lose any of your memories?"  
  
"Oh, Dumbledore sent my back in time using a Locati Spell which is quite different from how we sent you back in time. The Locati Spell requires the caster to know what time the person is going to in the past. The side effects are very minimal with Locati Spell," Hermione paused to take a breath, but Harry cut her off before she could continue.  
  
"Do you have a clue how we're going to find the incantation?" Harry asked hopefully.  
  
"Well, we can start with the Hogwarts library," she answered straightforwardly.  
  
"We've been searching there for the past week," Harry said downcast.  
  
"We?"  
  
"Er, me, Remus, and Sirius," Harry said bracing himself for Hermione's reaction.  
  
"And what exactly did you tell them?" she said with a forced calm.  
  
"Well, er, the Marauder's Map gave me away," Harry said dully. He was dead tired from the night's events and was struggling to fight off sleep. The Cruciatus Curse had left him drained.  
  
"What did you tell them?" Hermione whispered.  
  
"I, er, said I was James's son and I came back to fix a problem I had in the future. They weren't exactly satisfied, but up until now they've accepted the explanation."  
  
"Have you fixed the Marauder's Map so James and Wormtail can't figure out who you are?" Hermione questioned. Harry nodded. "And what do you mean by 'up until now'? Why do you think they're going to need a better explanation?" she asked smartly.  
  
"Because I rescued them from Death Eaters tonight. They saw me fight off Imperio. I found them in caves in Hogsmeade when I shouldn't have known where they were," Harry said exhaustedly.  
  
"How did you know where they were?" Hermione asked with concern.  
  
"A vision," Harry said as he touched his scar. Suddenly his scar throbbed and he gripped it. Voldemort was very angry; he just found out that the Marauders had escape from his Death Eaters. Harry shuddered.  
  
"Harry do you know what will happen if Voldemort discovers a connection between the two of you. Do you have any idea how serious this is?" Hermione hissed.  
  
"I reckon I have an inkling," Harry snapped back at her. "Don't you think I haven't thought about it? I know how serious this is. But I am NOT going back until a find a way to save Sirius," Harry said unyieldingly. Hermione bite her lip and looked down.  
  
"I know," she said softly.  
  
"Look Hermione I got Snape to brew some more of the encubra potion for me."  
  
"What? How? You've got Snape involved?" she asked shrilly. Quickly Harry realized he would need to tell her everything that had happened. Rubbing his temples Harry began at the beginning. He told her everything: how he had treated Wormtail, how his parents treated Snape, and finally to how he had nearly killed another person. At the end of his tale Hermione hugged Harry fiercely.  
  
"Don't you dare feel guilty about what you did," Hermione ordered Harry. Harry just looked down and stared at his hands.  
  
"I don't want to ever kill anyone again," Harry stated intensely.  
  
"You won't have to now that Voldemort is dead," Hermione informed Harry.  
  
"People want me to be an Auror and fight what's left of the Death Eater," Harry replied.  
  
"I thought you wanted to be an Auror."  
  
"I don't want to be around death anymore. I'm sick of it. Besides trouble seems to find me; I doubt I'll ever be bored," Harry said with a slight smile. Hermione smiled back.  
  
"So what are we going to do about that incantation? And what am I going to tell the Marauders?" Harry asked with a yawn.  
  
"Let me worry about the incantation for now. And as for the Marauders you can tell James and Wormtail that you have visions. If James and Wormtail don't learn who you really are it won't matter if they know you have visions. As for Sirius and Professor Lupin." Hermione paused to think. "You can tell them you knew they were going to be kidnapped because they had told you so in the future. And you simply decided to interfere because you wanted to impress your father. You know it was stupid, but it was an impulsive decision, and you wanted to prove yourself," Hermione finished proud of her concocted lie.  
  
"Alright, what will I tell them about you?" Harry asked.  
  
"I'm your cousin Hilary Bond, who was also home schooled up until now. Of course, we'll have to tell Sirius and Professor Lupin that I'm actually from the future and came to help you." Harry nodded in agreement.  
  
He wasn't sure this was all going to work, but he was too tired to care. Vaguely he wondered if he was finally going to be allowed to get some sleep. Apparently Hermione realized his line of thoughts.  
  
"You should get some sleep Harry," she prompted. Sleepily Harry nodded and the moment his head fell against his pillow he was asleep.  
  
000000  
  
"Let's wake him up and who in Merlin's beard is she?" James said irritably. When the three boys woke, they discovered the dark haired girl sleeping next to Harry.  
  
"Calm down James. I'm sure Harry has a reasonable explanation for everything that's happened," Remus tried to soothe James.  
  
"I'm with James. I want to know the truth about Harry," Peter said sullenly.  
  
"I saw my best friend tortured by Death Eaters last night, Remus. I need an explanation for all of this. I need the truth," James said somberly.  
  
Remus looked down. He too had seen one of his best friends tortured last night. Dangerous thoughts had been racing through his head since last night. Why hadn't Harry come sooner to rescue them? If Harry had known what was happening why he didn't come soon enough to prevent them from hurting Sirius. Did Harry know something about Sirius he didn't? Remus swallowed down hard. He had seen James's son hit with two of the Unforgivable Curses. He had seen Harry Potter stab a Death Eater.  
  
"Why did you lie for him?" James asked coldly. Harry better be able to explain this, Remus thought fervently.  
  
"He saved our lives. I think we should give him a chance to explain himself to us," Remus said quietly. Remus wished he had a book to hide behind.  
  
"I'm waking them both up right now," James decided angrily. "I'm not waiting another moment for an explanation." Remus was too nervous to protest.  
  
"GET UP!" James yelled at Harry and Hermione. Harry bolted upright and began searching for his wand. Hermione rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up in the bed next to Harry's.  
  
"Waz goin' on? Who's 'ttacking us?" Harry said as he tried to stand up, but getting tangled in his bed sheets and falling down onto the floor.  
  
"Nobody is attacking us," Remus said quickly. The three boys were looking at Harry in alarm.  
  
"Oh," Harry said. He then rubbed his eyes and felt around for his glasses. Impatient James got up, grabbed Harry's glasses and shoved them onto his face.  
  
The room came into focus and Harry wondered why they had woken him up so abruptly. Glancing at Hermione for a hint, Harry saw she was just as clueless as he was. Harry climbed back onto his bed and sat down. His head was still throbbing with pain, and he felt as if he hadn't slept more than an hour.  
  
"Who is she? How did you know where to find us? How did you fight off the Imperious Curse?" James rattled off.  
  
"I'm Hilary Bond, Harry's cousin. My parents sent me here late last night to tour the school. When I got here Dumbledore told me Harry was missing and I stayed the night with him to make sure he was alright," Hermione answered nervously. James and Peter appeared to accept the answer, but Remus gave her a very skeptical look.  
  
"Well, how did you know where to find us? How did you fight off the Imperious Curse?" James repeated sternly.  
  
"Er, well, remember when I had the dizzy spell and fainted." The three boys nodded. "Well, actually it was a vision. I have visions sometimes and last night I had a vision of you four in the cave. I got there as quickly as I could," Harry mumbled. James and Peter stared at him in shock. Remus looked uncertain.  
  
"How did you learn to fight like that?" James asked in amazement.  
  
"Er, my tutors made sure I knew how to duel." All three boys looked a little doubtful at this. "And well, I have been in a couple duels before," Harry added.  
  
"With who?" Peter squeaked. Harry looked down.  
  
"Death Eaters," he mumbled. The three boys' eyes widened.  
  
"What happened?" James asked in awe.  
  
"Look I don't want to get into it," Harry said defensively. The three boys exchanged looks. James opened him mouth to continue the interrogation, but Remus deliberately cut him off.  
  
"How did you learn to fight off the Imperious Curse?" Remus asked hoping to change the subject. Harry hesitated; he could barely tell them that an insane Death Eater, who was pretending to be his teach, taught him.  
  
"I had this very paranoid tutor who convinced my parents I needed to be taught to defend myself against the Imperious Curse. He cast it on me repeatedly until I learned to throw it off." Harry carefully looked at James's and Peter's expressions to see if they believed him. James looked disbelieving, but awed. Peter looked scared; Harry decided that was good enough.  
  
"He cast an Unforgivable on you?" Peter repeated in shock. Harry nodded dully, willing his headache away. Hermione made a noise like an angry cat. Swiftly all four boys whipped their heads around towards her.  
  
"The Unforgivable Curses make me sick," Hermione snapped giving Wormtail a pointed look.  
  
"Have you been hit by an Unforgivable?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"No," Hermione lied defiantly.  
  
"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked changing the subject.  
  
"We don't know," James answered sharply. The boys lapsed into silence, each of them worrying about their friend.  
  
The Hospital Wing's door swung open and Dumbledore walked in.  
  
"Excellent, you're already up. You have all been excused from classes today and I feel being kidnapped by Death Eaters is enough of a punishment for sneaking out of the school at night. Now, I expect you want to know how Sirius is doing," Dumbledore said with twinkling eyes. All the boys nodded eagerly.  
  
"None of Sirius's injuries were life threatening and he has already been released from the hospital. Sirius is currently in the Great Hall eating breakfast .Madame Pomfery has informed me that the four of you are free to leave the Hospital Wing when you feel you are ready. But I expect you all to take today easy." Dumbledore's sharp blue gaze lingered on Harry.  
  
00000  
  
Harry and Hermione declined the offer of breakfast and instead headed up towards Gryffindor to talk as the boys went to the Great Hall. James spotted Sirius first and quickly ran over to him. Sirius looked pale and tired, but altogether health.  
  
"What happened? You're alright, aren't you?" James blurted out. Sirius grinned at James's concern.  
  
"I'm fine, don't worry," he said flippantly. "But look at this wicked scar I got." Sirius pulled up his sleeve and a pink line ran from the middle of his bicep to the top of his forearm. Peter squeaked.  
  
"They couldn't remove it?" Remus questioned.  
  
"I asked them not to. It'll help impress the girls when I tell about my heroic fight against the Death Eaters." Sirius grinned madly. The other three Marauders rolled their eyes. Sirius's expression darkened.  
  
"I had six broken ribs, a broken wrist, leg, and my jaw. Plus minor cuts, bruises, and burns. The mediwitch fixed me up in a snap." Sirius shuddered, his expression dark. James and Remus both felt guilty and both wished that it could have been them instead of Sirius. Trying to push a different thought out of his head, Peter couldn't help but feel glad that it had been Sirius instead of him.  
  
"So you're as good as new, plus the scar?" James asked for conformation.  
  
"Yep, they managed to get me back into one piece," Sirius tried to say lightly. "So did Harry tell you anything?" The three boys nodded.  
  
"He has visions," James whispered the explanation. Sirius glanced at Remus to see if he bought that. Remus raised an eyebrow skeptically. James huddled closer to Sirius and told Sirius everything Harry had said, as well as, all about his cousin Hilary. The boys then turned on their food and ate intently.  
  
"So what do you want to do?" Sirius asked the others once they had finished. It was well past the normal breakfast time and the Great Hall was empty except for them and the occasional ghost; everybody else was in class.  
  
"Since everybody is in class we have an excellent prank opportunity," James whispered excitedly. Remus rolled his eyes disgusted.  
  
"We were kidnapped by Death Eaters yesterday and all you can think about is pranks?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"The world needs laughs," Sirius informed Remus. "Besides with Evans in class right now we could really do something awful to Snape." Sirius's eyes gleamed and Remus felt slightly sickened.  
  
"Fine, but I'm going to go check on Harry and Hilary." Remus stiffly stood up and walked towards the Gryffindor Tower. He could hardly believe Sirius could think about pranks at a time like this. Remus couldn't get the image of Harry screaming on the ground after he was hit with the Cruciatus Curse.  
  
Before he knew it, Remus was in front of the portrait to the Gryffindor Tower. He muttered the password, ignoring the Fat Lady's questions, and walked into the Common Room.  
  
He looked around for Harry and Hilary and didn't see them. Slowly he started to trudge up the stairs to the seventh year dormitories, where he assumed they would be.  
  
As he climbed the stairs Remus could make out their voices. He walked up as quietly as he could. Part of him protested against the idea of eavesdropping, but his curiosity got the best of him. He wanted to know the truth about what was going on.  
  
"—they were just so lost." Remus could hear. "After I cut them lose they just stood there without an idea of what to do."  
  
"They probably haven't been in a battle before." Remus heard Hilary say.  
  
"Yes, I suppose this was their first battle," Harry said wearily. "Everybody is a bit panicky during their first battle, but still it was so strange when James asked me, 'What should we do?' I didn't image that he would ask me for advice after a fight."  
  
"Are they a lot different than you imagined?" Hermione asked gently.  
  
"Yes, James and Sirius are downright cruel to Snape and Lily can be a bit moody at times," Harry shrugged.  
  
"You haven't given too much information away through?" Hermione prompted.  
  
"Er, I don't think so," Harry started defensively. "Although I have said some stuff I probably shouldn't have. And sometimes I'm amazed I can stop myself from killing that effing little traitor," Harry finished resentfully.  
  
"I know this must be hard for you Harry," Hermione began.  
  
"You don't have a clue how hard this is for me. If I didn't know I was going to kill the bastard in the future I'd slit his throat in a second. You can't imagine what it's like sharing a dorm with the man who betrayed your parents. I hate him. No I despise him, loathe him, abhor him," Harry hissed angrily. Hermione bite down on her lip.  
  
"I am sorry Harry. But it will be worth it if you can save his life," Hermione said gently.  
  
"I know, Hermione. And I'm going to get some more sleep I'm exhausted, okay." Harry lay down on his bed and quickly fell asleep.  
  
0000  
  
Remus sat in a squashy chair next to the fireplace in the Common Room. He couldn't believe what he had heard. One of the Marauders had betrayed Harry. One of them had betrayed James and Lily. But who? Remus knew that he would never do that. So that left Peter and Sirius.  
  
His thoughts automatically went to Peter. Harry didn't like Peter and Harry seemed to like Sirius. But after another moment of thought Remus didn't think that was likely. Harry probably didn't like Peter because he was annoying, not because he was a traitor.  
  
But Harry on the other hand had been disgusted when he learned what Sirius and James had done to Snape. But wasn't Snape a Death Eater, Remus thought with confusion. Still Snape was helping Harry by making him a potion in the future so maybe he wasn't as bad as he seemed. Remus shook his head, uncertain of what to think.  
  
Suddenly a horrible though struck Remus. Why had Harry waited so long to rescue Sirius? Had he waited because Harry thought Sirius deserved to be tortured? Harry said he had killed the traitor in the future, despite his obvious aversion to killing. Did Harry hate Sirius so much he thought he deserved to be tortured?  
  
No, Remus decided. Neither Sirius nor Peter would be traitors. Willfully deciding he had misunderstood the conversation, Remus pushed it out of his mind.

AUTHOR NOTES: Please review. It will make my day.


	15. Brilliant Plan

DISCLAMOR: Don't own Harry Potter.

AUTHOR NOTES: Thanks for all the nice reviews. Enjoy the chapter and please review.

15. **The Brilliant Plan**

The air was soaring through his hair and Harry felt his spirits rise. There was nothing in the world like Quidditch. Harry knew he shouldn't be out, but he couldn't resist the temptation. The past week had been unbelievably stressful and Harry felt he deserved the chance to unwind.

Harry and Hermione and spent the last several days ransacking the library for a clue as to how to save Sirius. So far they were unsuccessful.

James and Peter had skeptically accepted that 'Hilary Bond' was going to attend Hogwarts with 'Harry Smith' to help him recover from any emotional stress the kidnapping may have caused Harry. The two boys were astounded at Harry's startling visions.

Remus and Sirius, on the other hand, had been harder to convince. But after many assurances they finally, reluctantly, agreed with Harry's explanation that he was meant to save the four boys in the past and had rescued them as fast as possible. But he couldn't return to the future because he actually did need to find an incantation on the Black Veil. Remus and Sirius had continued helping Harry in his quest to find the book which contained the looked-for incantation.

Harry sighed; at least Snape had given him more of the encumbra potion. Snape, not knowing how much to make, made three months supple, which Harry felt was more than enough.

Suddenly Harry dived toward the ground. Plummeting closer and closer to the ground, Harry pulled up at the last possible moment, pulling even with the ground. It was late, well past midnight, and Harry knew he shouldn't be out. Much less flying in the dark. The people of his time would have had a heart attack if they knew he was 'risking' himself so needlessly.

Harry slowed his broom to a stop. Somehow things just weren't turning out how he expected them to. The Marauders were acting more distant from him than ever. James and Peter had been treating Harry more cautiously than ever since he had told them about his visions. They regarded him as they might a dangerous animal with unpredictable powers.

Getting off the school broom, Harry walked over to the Quidditch supply shed, threw in the broom and began trudging back up to the boys' dormitories.

He hoped all four Marauders' were asleep. While James and Peter were trying to keep their distance from Harry, Remus and Sirius were doing the opposite. They had taken on the annoying habit of asking him trivial but frustrating questions. The kind of questions he couldn't ignore without raising suspicions, but the kind of question that could be dangerous.

Harry remembered all too clearly the interrogation of yesterday's lunch. It had all started innocently enough with Sirius pestering him. Harry groaned and remembered the way Sirius's eyes had sparkled just before he asked—

"So, Harry how old were you when you were first grounded?" Sirius inquired after swallowing a large mouthful of ham.

"Er, I don' know," Harry replied trying to sound bored and not to think of the Dursleys or the fact that he had lived in a cupboard the first ten years of his life.

"I was first grounded when I was four. Sooo, how 'bout you?" Sirius prompted digging for information.

"When do you think?" Harry snapped back. Sirius and Remus had been picking at his brain for information about himself ever since the night of the kidnapping and it was beginning to get on Harry's nerves.

"A little touchy are we?" Sirius said with a smile. And the interrogation continued. If it wasn't about the first time he was grounded, it was about Quidditch, or the first time he had met with house-elf, or the first time he had used Floo powder.

Harry didn't understand why they were suddenly asking him so many questions. Harry only stopped pondering Sirius's and Remus's behavior when he entered their dormitory to find them all, thankfully, asleep.

As Harry lay down on his bed he reflected that a few things had improved since Hermione had come to the past. Not only was she excellent at research, she had befriended Lily. The two girls were thrilled to learn they both had read Hogwarts, a History and had a natural knack for charms. The two were quick friends.

Running his hand through his hair, Harry admitted, ashamed, he had been jealous of Hermione for her quick friendship with his mother. But with Hermione's help Lily and himself had bonded. They had become friends of sorts and Harry knew he would cherish that friendship for the rest of his life. Closing his emerald eyes Harry fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time, in a long time.

0000000

Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius were once again in the library looking for the incantation. Unfortunately for everybody Sirius did not have the patience to do research. He didn't want to look through a book; he wanted to do something.

"You know what we could do?" Sirius began hopefully.

"What?" Harry asked as continued reading.

"We could do some research at the International Library for Wizards and Witches," Sirius suggested. Hermione's head perked up.

"How would we get there?" she asked with a gleam in her eye. "It's on the other side of England."

"That's easy enough. Just create a portkey," Sirius said simply. Remus groaned in anticipation, while Harry shook his head vehemently no.

"Creating portkeys is illegal," Harry said quickly. Sirius rolled his eyes at Harry, while Hermione gave Harry a sympathetic look.

"Illegal, against the rules . . . really Harry, are you the son of a Marauder or not?" Sirius asked flippantly. Harry paled slightly.

"Do you know how to make a portkey?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Is my name Sirius Black? Am I a Gryffindor? Of course I can make a portkey," Sirius boasted. Hermione eyed him nervously.

"Are you sure? Have you done it before?" she asked cautiously.

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Harry burst out. Harry truly loathed using portkeys.

"Harry, relax," Hermione said gently. "If the incantation is in another library, we can't really pass up the opportunity to look for it. Although it is illegal. . ." she trailed off nervously.

"But we won't get caught. Nothing will go wrong," Sirius urged the others excitedly. He looked to Remus for help but discovered he wasn't even listening to the conversation; instead he was staring thoughtfully at the book he was reading.

Sirius's reassurances seemed to make Hermione a bit more nervous. Sensing Hermione's mood, Sirius pressed on, unwilling to lose her support.

"We can do it tonight without a problem. I can change one of my shoes into the portkey. We can walk to Hogsmead and from there we can portkey straight to the library," Sirius said wishing for a change in scenery. Even if he would only be going to a different library at least it would be different.

Harry clenched his jaw shut. If this is what it would take to save Sirius, he would do it. But the thought of using a portkey made him feel like a bucket of ice had been dropped in his stomach.

The image of the Triwizard cup entered his mind unbidden. Cedric's face flashed before his eyes. Exhaling sharply, Harry tried to clear his mind.

"Are you alrigh?" Remus asked quietly.

"Er, yeah. I'm fine," Harry mumbled. "I just don't like portkeys that's all."

"Why not?" Sirius asked immediately. Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance and both decided to ignore the question.

"Why are we going to walk to Hogsmead before we portkey to the library?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"Because of the wards around Hogwarts. They stop people from—"

"They don't stop portkeys," Harry interrupted Sirius. Hermione looked sharply at Harry.

"Really, I've never tried it. I just always assumed. . ." Sirius trailed off with a grin on his face. Harry glared at him darkly.

"Er, so you would create the portkey and we would research in the library throughout the night?" Hermione prompted to make sure she understood the situation. "What about security?"

"Library security? The Minister has more important thing to protect than that," Sirius exclaimed. Hermione looked at Remus nervously.

"What do you think? Remus?" Hermione ventured to ask what he thought.

"Er, I'm not so sure," Remus said barely giving it a thought.

"Is a portkey the only way we can do this?" Harry asked desperately.

"Yes the library doesn't have any fireplaces so we can't Floss and why don't you like portkeys? They really aren't that bad," he added. Harry shook his head slightly as if to forget some painful memory and refused to meet Sirius's grey eyes.

"Harry I know you hate portkeys but, honestly, if the incantation is in that library. . ." Hermione trailed off suggestively. Harry sighed.

"I know," he said in defeat. "It's the only way."

"Actually I don't think it is," Remus said grinning widely. "I've just got it. I knew the answer was here somewhere. I don't know how I could have been so stupid to miss it in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked. Harry, suddenly struck by the hilarity of the situation, started laughing and only stopped when tears were starting to form in his eyes.

"What's so funny?" Sirius asked confused.

"You have no idea how many times she's got some brilliant idea and started rambling on about how 'stupid' she was not to have seen it. All the while refusing to explain what the idea is while me and Ron ask her what she's going on about. Now she knows how it feels," Harry said with a grin. Hermione turned slightly pink and tutted in annoyance.

"It's not my fault you boys sometimes can follow what I'm saying," Hermione said indignantly. "And what is your idea?" Hermione added with as much dignity as she could muster.

"It's the book Professor Dumbledore gave Harry," Remus began waving the book in front of them. The three nodded uncertainly.

Picking up the book Remus began to read aloud, "'The Black Veil cannot only transport a person to when they need to go, but where they need to go.'" Remus smiled at them in triumph.

"You can just use the veil to send you where you need to go," Sirius said in understanding.

"But it says 'Both features of transportation can not be used at the same time.' Harry used the Veil to go back in time," Hermione said in a slightly know it all voice.

"Yes, it does say that. But I think it means you can't send someone when and where they need to go using the veil only once. Does that make sense?" Remus explained. Hermione suddenly grinned.

"Er, you mean if I use it two separate times I can use it for two separate uses?" Harry clarified. Remus grinned and nodded.

"It will be hard to break into the Department of Mysteries," Harry mused. "At least we won't need a portkey for that."

"What?" Remus hissed sharply.

"Why are you going to break into the Department of Mysteries?" Sirius asked incredulously, looking at them as though they were both very brave and very crazy.

"Isn't that where the Black Veil is?" Hermione asked.

"No, it's in the Museum for Unexplainable Unusually Utensils. We certainly don't need to break into the Department of Mysteries, for Merlin's sake," Remus said in horror.

"Well, that will make things easier this time," Harry commented.

"You've broken into the Department of Mysteries? Are you crazy?" Sirius sounded completely awed. Harry glanced down ashamed. He certainly wished he had never snuck into the Department of Mysteries, or he wouldn't be in this mess.

"We shouldn't talk about it," Hermione said sharply leaving no room for question. Sirius and Remus nodded in compliance.

"Okay so I'll make the portkey to go to the museum and we'll go tonight?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Is a portkey the only way to get to the museum?" Harry groaned.

"They have a Floo connection but it does have security," Remus informed. Harry groaned.

"So, we use a portkey?" Sirius said brightly.

"Sure, but I don't think you should come," Harry said worriedly.

"Why not?" Sirius demanded.

"What if it's dangerous?" Harry replied.

"I'm a Marauder. I live for danger," Sirius said flippantly.

"I'm in too," Remus added. Harry looked at Hermione for help. Hermione looked indecisive.

"You're not going without us. You don't know how to make a portkey and I do," Sirius said smiling wickedly.

"Fine," Harry agreed sounding more anger than he was. In truth he was comforted by the fact that he and his godfather wouldn't be parting yet.

"Are we going tonight?" Remus asked.

"No, we should wait until tomorrow night. There are a couple things I need to do before we go through the Black Veil again," Hermione informed the boys.

"Alright, but we are going tomorrow? Agreed?" Sirius asked.

"Agreed."


	16. The Itinerary

DISCLAIMER: Potter Not Mine.

A/N: I've been bad. I've been lazy. Hopefully this makes up for it. Thanks for all the reviews. Please read and enjoy.

Chapter 16: The Itinerary

_Harry was surrounded in darkness. Black ink filled his vision and screams of agony filled his ears. She was dying and it was his entire fault. _

_Stumbling through the darkness, Harry sped towards her. Her screams were increasing in volume. He could feel the sound waves ricocheting in his head. He sprinted on faster than before. _

_He couldn't get to her fast enough. She was in pain, she was screaming, and suddenly the screams stopped. _

_The utter silence unnerved Harry as he ran on. The path seemed longer than before. It surely hadn't been so long previously. _

_The ground was uneven and rocky; Harry stumbled. Not hesitating, Harry pushed himself up ignoring the bleeding palms of his hands. _

_A faint light came into view and Harry knew he had reached his destination. But was it too late? Was she already dead? _

_Refusing to accept such thoughts, Harry burst into the room with a thought of how to prepare him for what waited within. _

"_Y-you're early." Harry paid the voice no mind. Where was she? _

_His eyes found her. She was slumped over in a chair, bound to it by ropes. Head rolled back, wild chestnut hair sticky with blood. Hermione. He had done this to his friend. _

_Harry fixed his gaze on the man in front of him. Blood was pounding through his veins furiously. _

"_What have you done?" Harry snarled. The man flinched, but ignored the question, instead pulling out a wand from the depths of his cloths. A wand made of holly, eleven inches long. A wand Harry recognized instantly. _

_Snarling, Harry stood his ground. In his illogical state of mind, it didn't occur to Harry that he was unarmed and standing up to a full grown wizard who was indeed prepared to fight with his wand. _

"_Crucio."_

_Harry fell to the ground screaming, but almost immediately the pain stopped. His breathe came in rasping gasps. _

"_Do you know how happy the Dark Lord will be with me when I kill you? He will favor m-me above all others. Succeeding where he, himself, failed." _

"_You'll let Hermione go," Harry ordered desperately, still lying on the cold dirty ground. Once again the man ignored Harry's question. He ran the holly wand through his fingers, fumbling with the unfamiliar weapon. Slowly the trembling wand was pointed at Harry's heart. _

_With a sudden surge of determination, and a half thought out plan, Harry plunged his hand into his socks and pulled out his pocket knife. The man hesitated for a brief second before cursing Harry. _

"_Avada—" _

_But the man had hesitated for too long and Harry thrust the knife into Wormtail's soft organs. Hands soaking in blood, Harry pulled the knife out. _

_The crimson color had spread over his fingers. He barely registered the color before he shoved the knife into Wormtail's heart. _

_Harry could heard Wormtail gasping for air. A gurgling noise in the back of his throat. The metallic smell of blood. The crimson liquid was pouring on to the ground. Watching in morbid fascination as the blood drained from his body. Harry only tore his eyes away from the body when Wormtail's eyes dulled. _

_00000_

Harry Potter woke up gasping for breathe. Quickly he fumbled for his glasses and shoved them on his face.

After observing that the four other boys were sleeping, Harry decided to get in the shower. By the time he was out the other four were already dressed and complaining about the amount of homework they had to do.

Harry did not join in to their conversation. He wasn't going to pretend to sympathize with Peter's struggle to understand Charms. At times it was hard to take school seriously. School just didn't seem significant after killing Death Eaters and defeating Voldemort.

Reoccurring nightmares did not help the situation, nor did the fact that he had already been offered a job by the Minister of Magic. Immediately after defeating the Dark Lord, Aurors had started begging Harry to take a job in the Department of Magically Law Enforcement.

So on the whole, Harry felt completely unable to relate to anything the Marauder's were currently discussing. Somehow the test in Charms just seemed trivial.

00000

The day seemed to be rushing by at an uncontrollable rate and Harry was less and less happy with his decision to go to the museum.

Not only was he going to have to use a portkey, but he was also going to endanger Sirius and Remus. And Harry had sworn never to endanger his friends again.

Thankfully, Hermione had anticipated the need for damage control and had created a suitable plan.

Hermione simply rounded up Harry, Remus, and Sirius, then dragged them into an unused class room during lunch so she could explain her plan.

The three boys entered the musty classroom, sat down, and looked at her questioningly. Harry shook his head in disbelief, Hermione never failed to come up with a brilliant plan.

"Well, boys I've got all the materials I need to activate the Black Veil and I have found a map of the museum the Black Veil is in." Hermione brandished the map in front of the boys' eyes. "I have already marked the quickest route from the museum entrance to the Black Veil."

"Here let me see that," Remus requested. Hermione handed the map over, looking pleased with herself.

"Alright, so after I activate the veil—"

"How do we activate the veil?" Sirius asked curiously. Hermione rolled her eyes at Sirius.

"Honestly, didn't you read about the incantation when we were looking at it last night?" Hermione said in a slightly condescending voice.

"No, I knew a brilliant women named Hilary would explain it to me," Sirius said happily. Hermione was briefly confused until she remembered that her fake name was indeed 'Hilary Bond.'

"How you became an animagus. . ."

"How do you know about that?" Sirius demanded.

"Honestly, I'm one of Harry's best friends. We do talk to each other." Sirius shrugged sheepishly.

"Anyhow, to activate the veil, so it sends you somewhere instead of just. . . well to activate the veil you sprinkle crushed sandstone in front of the veil. Then Harry is going to need to say the incantation, '_à quand les besoins de Je d'aller trouver mes coeurs désirent_,'" Harry's mouth fell open in disbelief. "And after he says the first incantation I'll spread granite dust over the sandstone. Then all three of us together will need to repeat '_à quand il doit aller trouver son désir de coeurs'_ then we should be able to step through the veil to the place we need to go," Hermione rattled off the information easily.

All three boys were looking at her like she was crazy. This was going to be more difficult than they imagined. Ignoring their looks of horror Hermione continued.

"Once we get through the veil we will search for the book with the information. Once somebody has found the incantation, you two," she looked at Sirius and Remus, "We'll use the other portkey to return to Hogsmeade."

"What? Why can't me and Remus stay to help?" Sirius whined indignantly.

"No, I agree. You need to stay out of danger," Harry agreed firmly.

"Where will you go once we've gone?" Remus asked.

"Back to our time, obviously. That way we can use the incantation," Hermione said in a know-it-all voice.

"Wouldn't it be better if you used the incantation on the Black Veil here?" Remus asked.

"Huh?" Harry said confused as to Remus' logic.

"The incantation is for the Black Veil?" Harry nodded. "Isn't your Black Veil in the Department of Mysteries?" Again Harry nodded an affirmative. "It would make more since to just use the veil here, when it's still at the museum," Remus concluded.

Harry and Hermione shared a dark look.

"Hilary, how are you going back to the future anyways? Wouldn't it be easier just to do the spell at Hogwarts?"

"Actually the spell to go back to our own time is quiet simple. Its always easier to send people in time to the time they are supposed to be in because of the way the flow of time works. So we only need to say a simple spell, _appartenga_," Hermione finished.

"I suppose that is a simple spell," Sirius admitted grudgingly, but wasn't about to give up the fight and let them disappear into the future.

0000

James could not believe Sirius and Remus were ditching him for Harry. He simply could not except that. But once again Sirius and Remus had skipped lunch to spend time with Harry. Not only hadn't James been invited, he got the distinct impression that they were trying to avoid him.

This was something James Potter simply could not stand for. A mysterious person who appeared out of thin air and had strange visions were not going to steal his best friends. This was a problem he was going to fix and he was ready to fix it right now.

"Peter do you know if Sirius and Remus went to the library?" James asked.

"Er, I don't think so," Peter replied.

"Lets go look for them," James said.

"Why?" Peter squeaked.

"Because I don't understand why Padfoot and Moony trust Harry so much and, I don't know, I'm worried about them," James said seriously.

"You're worried," Peter said quietly.

"Yes, I'm worried," James snapped. "Harry is obviously powerful; you've seen him. And you know he has a horrible temper. I saw how he fought against those Death Eater and I'm worried about what Sirius and Remus are getting into by helping him out so much."

"Um, look James, er, I don't really think you need my help with this. . . if they want to hang out with the psycho I'm n-not goin' stop them," Petter mumbled.

"You're afraid to stand up to Harry." It was not a question.

"Listen, P-prongs, I think he wants to kill me. . ." But James wasn't going to listen. Standing up he strode out of the Great Hall.

James didn't understand why Sirius and Remus were acting like this and he was afraid of what they were getting into. James knew they were keeping secrets from him and he didn't want his fellow Marauders getting into trouble without him.

And then there was Harry Smith. As far as James was concerned Harry was dangerous. Harry was powerful, knew how to handle himself in a fight, occasionally had prophetic vision, and to top it off was temperamental.

James had never felt more relieved than he did when he reached the boys dormitories. Wasting no time, he pulled the Marauders map out of his trunk.

Quickly, he scanned the map for Sirius and Remus. Sure enough he found them in an unused class room on the 5th floor. Unsurprisingly, they were with Harry.

Suddenly, something caught his eye. 'Hermione Granger' was also in the room with Sirius, Remus and Harry.

James nearly groaned. Who in the world was Hermione Granger? Was she Hilary Bonds long lost sister who suddenly decided to appear? James wasn't going to wait to find out.

Stuffing the map in his pocket, James started toward the 5th floor. James stalked all the way there, feeling quite angry.

Just as he approached the door he heard Sirius speak, and suddenly a completely un-Gryffindor idea entered his head. If he wanted to find out what they were up to it would be simple enough just to listen to their conversation.

James bit down on his lip and made his decision. After looking in both directions, guiltily, James put his ear to the door.

"I suppose that is a simple spell, but if you go back you're going to have to break into the Department of Mysteries." James was pretty sure that was Sirius speaking, but could he have heard right? Harry Smith couldn't want to break into the Department of Mysteries.

"That won't be a problem." James heard Harry say coldly.

"What do you mean it won't be a problem? It's at the Department of Mysteries," Remus exclaimed. Good, just stay logical James urged Remus.

"I've done it before. It won't be a problem," Harry stated.

"Listen Harry you could get in serious trouble for doing something like that. You can get sent to Azkaban for doing things like that," Remus urged.

"Yes, Azkaban, that would be a truly horrible place to go," Harry hissed vehemently.

"We're going to make things right." James heard a female say. It must be Hermione.

"I don't want you in Azkaban and I'm sure your father doesn't either," Sirius said starting to get upset. A silence followed the statement.

"Nobody is going to send me to Azkaban. I've broken into the Department three times and I haven't been sent to Azkaban yet," Harry said somberly.

"Besides Harry, if you explain why you need to use the Black Veil I'm sure we might be able to get permission to use the veil," Hermione said hopefully. James doubted that.

"You could get in serious trouble for this. What is so important that is causing you to risk so much?" Sirius asked.

"You'll find out," Harry said this so quietly James could barely hear.

"When? At your trial?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"I don't care if I die doing this. I'm not going to abandon–" Harry suddenly cut off.

"Are we going to do this or not?"Hermione asked.

"Alright, I'll make the portkey and we're still going with you, but only on one condition" Sirius added. James nearly groaned.

"We can't tell you anything," Harry mumbled.

"Just listen to me, do you promise your doing the right thing? Hmmm, would your parents approve?" That was a strange question from Sirius, James thought. There was a slight hesitation before James heard Harry answer.

"Yes, I'm sure they would."

"Do they know what you're doing?" Remus asked.

"No, but they would understand," Harry said quietly.

"Alright we'll make the portkey to the museum. We'll meet after dinner and portkey from here to the museum," Sirius said.

"Alright, and you two will portkey back after we find the book?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I'll make another portkey that will take us two the Shrieking Shack; that way we won't have to worry about somebody seeing us portkey back," Sirius finished planning.

James was almost surprised by how unexcited Sirius seemed. He normally loved a chance to break the rules, but then again, he probably understood the gravity of the situation.

"So we portkey after dinner?"

"After dinner," Harry confirmed.

00000

James sat through his next class in a daze. Harry had tried to talk with him, but James had pointedly ignored him. James knew that Sirius and Remus were getting themselves into serious trouble but didn't know what to do about it.

He strongly doubted Sirius or Remus would believe him if he told them Harry was trouble. And James knew going to a teacher would only get them in trouble with the school. James sighed; for one of the first times in his life he didn't know what to do.

Vaguely he thought he was lucky Charms was a morning class, because he certainly couldn't concentrate now.

James realized this was the first time he had ever had a problem he had to face by himself. His friends, teachers, and parents, couldn't help him. He was on his own. James didn't want to involve Peter in this. He had the tendency to go running to a teacher at the first sign of trouble and James doubted Peter would have any better ideas than he did.

For the fifth time Harry tried to get James's attention; James ignored him. At that moment a brilliant idea struck James. He could simply create a portkey to the same museum and follow them there. If he caught Sirius and Remus in the act of breaking into a museum without him, they would be forced to explain.

James grinned and ran his hands through his hair messing it up. At times like these he truly felt utterly brilliant.

James would simply follow them to the museum using his own portkey.

A/N Well I hope you like it. Please review. Sorry if anything was OOC.


	17. The Portkey

1A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy the story.

Harry Potter isn't Mine.

Chapter 17:The Portkey

Harry Potter was in a panic. He had already shrunken down his chest and put it in his robe's pockets and he was ready to go to the museum. However, Harry was not ready to leave 1977 yet.

Somehow, he had managed to mess things up. Dreading the idea of returning to the future with his father hating him, Harry had tried to talk with James.

James had pointedly ignored him although out class and dinner wasn't going much better. Only this was Harry's last chance to talk with his father and make things right.

"So, James, are you planning on playing Quidditch after you graduate?" Harry asked hopefully. James merely shrugged.

"What abou' you, Lily?" Harry tried again.

"Oh, I'm not sure, but I think I want to work on wards for the Ministry. I've always been good with Charms and with You-Know-Who around the Ministry needs good protection wards," Lily said eagerly.

"Oh," Harry said. "So what Department would you work for?" he asked curiously.

"What about you?" James interrupted coldly. He didn't want Harry talking with his girlfriend. Harry was only too pleased to have James speaking to him even if it was in a rude fashion.

"Er, I'm not positive, but I think I'm going to be an Auror," Harry said hoping for approval.

"You want to enforce the law?" James asked incredulously.

"No, I want to stop Death Eaters," Harry said mentally groaning. Why was James being so difficult? James didn't respond to Harry's reply.

"Are you going to go back and live with your parents or get a flat of your own?" Lily inquired.

"What?" Harry responded.

"I just figured since you lived with your parents for the rest of your life you would just go back with them once school's over," Lily said.

"Oh er, me, Her-Hilary, and one of our friends, Ron, were going to get a flat together," Harry mumbled.

"I bet your parents weren't happy. Or haven't you told them?" Lily said in a slightly disapproving voice.

"Actually, I just told them and they took the news quite well," Harry replied with a trace of humor.

"Did you just tell them?" Remus asked mildly.

"Er–" Sirius cut him off laughing.

"Oh, Harry, are you still going to stay at the Burrow with Ron until we get ready to move into the flat?" Hermione asked looking up from the book she was reading.

"Yes," Harry said curtly.

"You're not even going to visit your parents before you move out?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Look Lily, I told you the first time I saw you, even though I was home schooled, I'm not very close with my parents," Harry said with the barest trace of pain in his voice. He studiously avoided looking at anyone.

"But you are going home this Christmas break?" Lily asked, desperate for some sign of affection.

"Er, they're goin' be busy," Harry answered evasively. "I might get to see my God Father."

"You're not going to be with your family at Christmas?" Lily exclaimed.

"Er, it's not a big deal. I can't even remember spending a Christmas with my parents," Harry tried to mumble nonchalantly. However, Lily wasn't fooled.

"That's horrible–"

"–So he hasn't spent Christmas with his parents. Big deal," James interjected moodily. He wasn't going to give this man any sympathy. This man had stolen his friends from him and was probably going to get them into serious trouble with the law.

"James, don't be so rude," Lily hissed and then looked apologetically at Harry. Hermione was also looking at Harry with sympathy. Harry felt a strong surge of anger. None of them know a thing about what he had been through. They had no idea and his father probably wouldn't care. The thought he might be spending the next Christmas with Sirius was the only thing that calmed him.

"No, it's alright. It's not like I grew up in cupboard and was treated like I was a freak of nature or anything," Harry muttered sullenly.

After exchanging a glance, Remus and Sirius couldn't say anything. Harry was still strange to them and if they left tonight, they would never learn more about Harry Potter, well at least until he was born.

"Exactly, it's not like he was neglected or anything," James said, resentful of Lily's concern over Harry.

"Yeah," Harry said swallowing hard.

The rest of dinner proceeded much of the same way. Harry trying to make conversation, James responding rudely, if at all, and Hermione shooting Harry sympathetic looks.

By the time dinner was over Harry had only eaten a half of piece of bread and was throughly depressed. For the rest of his life, Harry was going to have to live with the knowledge that his father hated him.

After standing up, Harry walked mechanically up toward the unused classroom they were portkeying from.

Harry's chest felt tight. It felt as though a belt had been pulled tight around his chest and all the air squeezed out.

Harry couldn't leave. Not like this, not without saying goodbye. Spinning on his heel, Harry sprinted towards the Owlery.

His lungs were burning and his legs were throbbing, but he didn't stop until he saw a tawny owl perched in the Owlery.

Doubling over, Harry panted for breathe. He ran his hands through his hair, he couldn't believe this was happening. But like so many other unthinkable situations, Harry was forced to deal with it whether he wanted to or not.

Parchment. Harry needed parchment. Slowly, he pulled a piece of parchment, a quill, and an ink bottle from his book bag.

Painful word, by painful word, Harry wrote the last words his parents would ever hear from him, figuratively speaking.

_Lily, _

_I will be leaving soon and I simply wished to say goodbye. I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye in person, but I simply did not know how. I will never forget your kindness and I will never forget you. It seems like a life time ago when I first meet you, even though we haven't known each other long. Thank you for caring about me, and at times sticking up for me. I will miss you always. _

_Love, _

_Harry_

Harry was not at all pleased with the letter, but at least it was a goodbye. At least it was some form of closure. It was better than nothing. Harry sighed, and then steeled himself to write the more difficult letter.

Quill hovering above the parchment, Harry tried to think of what to write. What could he say to his father? His father that seemed to hate him? It took at least five drafts of the same letter until Harry was satisfied. At least satisfied enough to send the letter.

_James Potter, _

_I will be leaving soon and I wished to say goodbye. I'm sorry we did not become better friends. I'm also sorry for anything I might have done to upset you. If my visions disturbed you, once again, I'm sorry. I've only tried to be your friend and gain your approval. Thank you for helping me when I fainted on the first day of school, I greatly appreciated your concern. I'll never forget that Quidditch match we played either. It was extremely fun. I really, really regret we didn't have more fun like that. Please keep playing Quidditch and having fun. Have fun at every possible moment and enjoy life. I'm sorry we never became better friends. I'll never forget you. _

_Love, _

_Harry_

0000

When Harry reached the unused classroom it was much later than the arranged meeting time. Hermione, Sirius, and Remus were already inside.

"Sorry I'm late," Harry said.

"What were you doing?" Hermione asked sharply.

"Er, nothing," Harry responded. Hermione looked at him skeptically.

"Harry. . ."

"I was just saying goodbye to Lily," Harry muttered.

"Oh," Hermione said with sudden understanding.

"Well, are we going to do this?" Sirius said excitedly, waving his shoe around in the air. Harry gulped and nodded.

Remus and Hermione reached out and touched Sirius's shoe. Harry stepped forward and hesitated.

"You made this yourself?" Harry asked nervously.

"Yes," Sirius answered.

"And you're sure this is going to take us to the museum?" Harry asked, trying to fight off a sudden wave of nausea.

"I'm positive. Nothing's going to go wrong," Sirius said with a carefree smile. "It's going to be an adventure. Have you ever broken into a museum to use an ancient artifact before?" Harry shook his head numbly.

He was suddenly struck by just how young Sirius looked. His skin was smooth and his mouth was curled into a half smile. Just a week ago Sirius had been tortured by Death Eaters, yet he still seemed so alive.

Sirius was still willing to sneak out and endanger himself. Harry couldn't help but be amazed at how reckless, but mostly young, Sirius seemed. Harry let out a sigh; he had to do this. For his God Father.

"Harry it's going to be fine," Hermione comforted gently.

"Portkeys are among the safest way to travel," Remus offered.

"Why don't you like portkeys?" Sirius urged.

"It's nothing," Harry muttered. With that, he reached out and touched the shoe.

The butterflies in his stomach all jumped at the same time, and Harry felt a familiar tug just behind his navel.

Harry felt himself falling and he threw out his hands just as he clenched his eyes shut. His hands connected with solid ground.

Breathing in deeply, Harry kept his eyes closed, trying to block out everything. But he couldn't stop himself from hearing Cedric's voice.

"_Wands out, d'you reckon?" _

"_Someone's coming." _

"_Kill the spare." _

Harry's eyes snapped open and he stood up so fast black dots filled his visions. He did not pause; this was not the graveyard and Cedric was dead. Eyes' looking all around, Harry tried to make sure they weren't in any danger. Nobody was going to hurt anybody, if he could help it.

"Harry, are you alright?" came Hermione's nervous voice.

"Er, yeah, just a bit dizzy. That's all," Harry muttered.

"Not going to have a dizzy spell?" Sirius chuckled.

Harry shook his head. Feeling a bit braver, now that Harry had ascertained nothing had gone wrong, Harry took in his surroundings. He was in front of an ordinary looking door in a muggle building. The door was covered in cracked, green paint.

"Is this the entrance to the museum?" Harry wondered.

"Yes, its been charmed so muggles don't pay much attention to it, if they do notice it they'll just assume it's a storage closet," Hermione rattled off. Harry shock his head, he could always count on Hermione to know something so trivial.

Before Harry could do or say anything else, Sirius reached out and tried to open the door. The door didn't budge.

"It's locked," Sirius said needlessly.

"_Alohomora_," Hermione said clearly. Nothing happened. Sirius tried to open the door; it still wouldn't budge.

"Moony, do you know any other spells that might work?" Sirius asked. Remus tugged on the sleeves of his robes awkwardly.

"I don't think so," he said uncertainly.

"We aren't Marauders, if we can't figure out how to break through this door," Sirius said, staring intently at the door.

"Harry do you have your pocket knife?" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

"

Er, no. I lost it the night the Marauders were kidnaped," Harry said, regretting very much that he left the knife behind. Sirius looked between the two of them with confusion.

"How would a pocket knife help?" he asked.

"My pocket knife was charmed so it could unlock any lock and undo any knot," Harry informed.

"Well then, it's a good thing I picked it up for you," Sirius said cheerfully.

"What?" Harry asked in surprise.

"I knew how much you liked it, so when I saw you left it, I picked it up. I was actually going to give it back to you tonight," Sirius told Harry. Sirius took out the knife and handed it to Harry.

Hesitating for a brief moment, Harry tried not to think about the fact that he had killed one man with this knife and nearly a second.

"Lets hope this works," Harry murmured to himself.

After fumbling with the knife and lock for a few moments, the door popped open. Harry let out a breath of relief.

"Lets go."

The four seventeen-year-olds quietly stepped into the museum. After closing the door, the four lit their wands and began walking. Harry and Hermione were in the lead, Hermione holding the map that had the route to the Black Veil.

The halls were dark and the only light was being admitted from their wands. Peering from pictures on the walls hundreds, of paintings watched the four pass.

"You are not supposed to be in here," one elderly man commented.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt or take anything. We're just looking around," Hermione said worried the portrait might inform somebody of their presence. She exchanged a nervous glance with Harry. He had thought of the same thing. However, the man did not reply nor did he leave his painting.

Suddenly Remus spun around.

"What was that?" Remus hissed nervously. "I heard something." The four Gryffindors looked behind them. Nothing appeared out of place.

"I don't see anything," Sirius whispered. The four stood there for several minutes before they felt certain enough it had just been Remus's imagination. They continued walking.

"Her-Er, are we going to lose our memory when we go through the veil and forget what we were doing?" Harry suddenly groaned. Sirius and Remus both turned to Hermione with looks of horror on their faces. The idea hadn't occurred to them either. However, Hermione didn't seem upset.

"No, that only happens when you use the veil for time travel. The worst side effect we might get is a headache," she replied nonchalantly.

"We're not going to lose our memories when we go back to the future. Will we?" Harry blurted.

"Honestly Harry, just relax. You only lose your short term memories by using certain types of time travel methods. Actually the spell we use will almost have the reverse effect. As we travel through time, memories of our future life will flash through our minds," Hermione informed.

"You're going to see the future?" Sirius asked.

"No, they're not. They're going to see stuff that's happened in their lives' but hasn't happened yet. Their past, our future," Remus said trying not to confuse Sirius further.

"Oh, right," Sirius said. Just as the words left his mouth, they turned a corner and came face to face with the Black Veil.

The air felt cold and dry. The veil seemed to flutter under an old decrepit archway. Shuddering, Harry flinched back.

He turned his emerald eyes on Sirius.

Sirius looked slightly nervous at the sight of the veil but also excited. His eyes were gleaming and he was smiling slightly in expectations. Slowly Harry dragged his gaze off of Sirius and his eyes found Remus. Curiosity and foreboding filled Remus's eyes. Harry smiled sadly as he thought of what this veil would bring in the future.

Harry shook his head and stepped towards the archway.

"Are we ready to do this?" Harry asked solemnly.

"Lets do it," Sirius answered. Sirius took a step forward in anticipation, but felt his shoulder jerked back.

Sirius whirled around. There was nobody behind him. Eyes widening in fear, Sirius wildly swung his arm in front of him and faintly felt fabric.

James Potter suddenly appeared in front of all of them, looking none too happy.

A/N Well I'm not totally happy with how that turned out, but I hope you liked it. Sorry about the cliff hanger. It was either a medium length chapter today or a long chapter in about a week. Please review. I'll you a huge.


	18. Confrontations

1Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. This chapter is dedicated to everybody who reviewed last time. Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 18: Confrontations

James Potter couldn't believe what his friends were getting involved with. This Black Veil did not look like something they should be messing with. And James Potter was not going to let his friends get in trouble; he threw down his Invisibility Cloak.

Harry, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius stared at him in shock. Nobody could speak. Harry gulped nervously, eyes flickering to the fluttering veil behind the four.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked hoarsely.

"Stopping them from making a serious mistake," James said firmly.

"Look, James you don't understand–" Sirius tried to say.

"No, I don't understand because you went behind my back and never told me what was going on!" James shouted. "This man is dangerous. You saw him nearly kill a man. You know how unpredictable he is. What are you guys thinking breaking into a place like this? Sirius you remember what Dumbledore said at the end of fifth year. You can't afford to get into anymore trouble."

"Listen for a second James, we can explain," Remus said quietly.

"Remus, how in the world did Sirius drag you into this. You're supposed to be the level headed one," James responded angrily. He then turned to Harry and glared at him, willing him to say something.

But Harry couldn't speak. Suspecting your dead father hated you and hearing it were two completely different things. James Potter hated him. No matter how many times people in the future told him his father would be proud of him, Harry would know it was a lie.

Harry looked down, he couldn't meet his father's eyes. He felt like somebody had just dumped a bucket of ice into his stomach. Taking deep breaths, Harry continued to stare at the floor.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" James asked coldly. Harry shook his head looking down.

Not understanding the overwhelming shame that was coursing through his veins, Harry refused to look up. His father hated him, was the only thing Harry could think.

Suddenly, the image of Snape's beaten body filled Harry's mind. His father was not perfect. And his father did not understand the situation. He had nothing to be ashamed of, saving Sirius was a perfectly honorable thing to do.

Eyes snapping away from the floor, Harry met James's gaze. He stared at James with such intensity, James began to feel uncomfortable.

"You don't know what's going on and you shouldn't have come," Harry said calmly. Hermione looked at Harry in amazement, she couldn't believe Harry had just said that to his father.

"Even if they're not acting like it, Sirius and Remus are my friends and I'm not going to let them get in trouble for _you_," James replied firmly. Smiling back coldly, Harry continued to glare into James's hazel eyes.

"Trust me, I'm not going to get them into any trouble," Harry said .Unless you count the thirteen years Sirius went to Azkaban, Harry added silently.

"Trust you!" James shouted incredulously. James was glaring straight back into Harry's emerald eyes.

"It doesn't matter if you trust me. Because with or without your permission I'm doing this. I didn't want Sirius and Remus to come with me anyways. Go ahead, take them with you and leave, but this is something I have to do and it will take more than Voldemort to stop me," Harry resolved with venom. Harry ignored everybody's flinches.

"Don't say His name," Remus said quietly.

"It's nothing but a childish fear to be afraid to call him by his name. And I'm guessing you all had better get the back bone to say his name, if you're ever going to stand up to him," Harry said with a forced mildness.

"But nobody says his names except Dumbledore," Remus said. James and Sirius nodded. Harry shook his head.

"Someday when you grow up you won't be afraid to say his name. But Sirus, Remus, I don't want to endanger you. You guys can go back with James. I-I'll be fine without out you," Harry said.

"We don't need you for the incantation," Hermione added.

"See they don't need you. Come back with me, before you get in to serious trouble," James said in an authoritive voice. The kind of voice Sirius and Remus wouldn't normally question.

Sirius looked between James and Harry. He was torn between the two, as was Remus.

"Can't we just explain?" Sirius asked Harry hopefully. Harry hesitated briefly.

"It's too dangerous," Hermione said softly. Sirius looked at her dubiously.

"We don't have to tell him much, just enough for him to understand," Remus suggested nervously. Sirius nodded determinedly. Hermione started to shake her head.

"No," came Harry's firm voice. "He doesn't need to know. I'm not going to take anymore foolish risks that could ruin everything." Hermione sighed in relief and a look of disbelief came across Sirius's face.

"I deserve to know what's going on," James declared. A look of indecision briefly flickered across Sirius's face.

"He's your son. He's from the future," Sirius burst out.

"WHAT?"

"So reckless–"

"Can't tell him–"

"Calm down–"

All five of them stared at each other in bewilderment. James studied Harry's appearance very closely, searching for some resemblance.

"He's not my son," James said firmly. Harry felt like he had been slapped across the face.

"James do you remember what the Marauder's Map said the first time we saw him on it?" Remus asked gently.

"I don't care. He's not my son. I'd never have a son who acts like him," James said decisively. Letting out a hiss of air, Harry grabbed Hermione's shoulder. He could feel all the blood draining from his face.

"Listen James–"

"You're lying," James stated. "He doesn't look anything like me."

"Dumbledore put a Glamour Charm on him," Hermione supplied.

"He can't be my future son," James muttered.

"You saw the way he flies, James," Sirius said, now starting to smile slightly.

"This can't be true," James said weakly. Sirius began smiling a full grin.

"He knows about tons of secret passageways," Sirius added.

"No, no it's simply not possible," James muttered almost to himself.

"Why not?" Sirius asked brazenly.

"I-I w-would never let _my _child spend countless Christmases by himself. I-I wouldn't ground him from Q-Quidditch," James said desperately. "And I wouldn't let his mother."

Harry didn't know what to say. On one hand, he didn't want James to feel guilty for things he never would do, but on the other hand, the truth would hardly make James feel any better.

"James, you've been an excellent father. You have nothing to feel guilty about," Harry said gently.

"Did I do all of those things?" he asked indecisively.

"No, James, you didn't. Listen James, do you believe I'm your son?" James nodded uncertainly.

"Then trust me. I may seem strange and, er, dangerous. But I did come back to the past for a good reason. I can't tell you what it is because I can't risk changing the future, nor can I tell you about the future for the same reason. I will tell you this though you have always been a great father to me. I know, er, that you always loved me and I, er, loveyoutoo," Harry finished quickly, struggling with the strange words in a strange situation.

A look of sudden understanding crossed James's face.

"The visions. Of course, you don't have visions. You just made that up to explain how you knew what was going to happen in the future," James said with a sudden confidence.

Harry smiled and nodded, he wasn't about to correct his father on that point.

"I'm going to help you," James decided. Everybody looked at him in shock.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You may confuse the bloody hell out of me. But I need to know that my son is going to be able to depend on me. I need to know I'm really not going to do any of the horrible things to you. And I need to start now," James said firmly. Harry nodded. Sirius looked between the two smiling. They should have told James the truth from the beginning.

"Alright, er, lets get started," Harry suggested nervously.

"So what exactly are we doing?" James asked glancing from Harry to the rest of the group.

Hermione quickly filled him in on how they were going to use the veil to find a different incantation on the same veil. However, James was not pleased to learn Harry and Hermione were returning to their own time as soon as they found the incantation.

"Do you have to leave right away?" James protested. As the words left his mouth he was utterly amazed. Just yesterday, he would have sold his broom stick to get rid of Harry Smith and now he wanted him to stay.

Shaking his head, James knew he needed to learn more about this strange, unpredictable person who was his son.

"Do you understand all the steps?" Hermione asked. James nodded his head, and wondered why she was pretending to be named Hilary.

"Are we ready to do this?" Harry asked. Sirius, Remus, and Hermione all replied in the affirmative.

"What's wrong?" Harry questioned his father.

"I just need to know a couple more things before I do this," James said.

"We can't tell you much," Harry warned.

"Why are you pretending her name is Hilary?" James asked.

"Honestly, my real name is much too unusual, so the moment Sirius and Remus meet me they would know who I am. If they let the fact slip that I had traveled to the past, in my future, it could cause a lot of problems," Hermione replied matter-of-factly. James nodded excepting the answer.

"Alright, and what are you going to use the incantation for?" James queried. Harry and Hermione exchanged a look. They were walking on a very dangerous line here.

"Er, we-I lost one of my friends. Er, it's confusing but this spell will, er, let us locate him, so we can bring him back," Harry said. James nodded thoughtfully.

"Can't you tell me anything else about my future?"

"Sorry," Harry mumbled back. He desperately wanted to tell James everything. Or just give him a tiny bit of advice: 'Don't make Wormtail your secret keeper.'

James and Lily wouldn't be betrayed to Voldemort. They wouldn't die, and Sirius wouldn't go to Azkaban.

At the very least, Harry wanted to tell James that he had defeated Voldemort. He wanted to tell James something to make him proud. Sighing, Harry shook his head sadly.

"Not a thing?"

"Not a thing," Harry confirmed.

"Alright then lets do this," James said.

00000

Hermione prepared the incantation. Laying down the correct powders at the correct time. Making everybody repeat the incantations correctly several times, before actually preforming the spell. When she was sure everything was right they performed the spell.

After the last incantation was said, a wind swept through the room, blowing the powdered ingredients away. The veil stopped fluttering. Slowly, with trepidation the five students marched into the veil.

00000

The five Gryffindors were immediately transported to a different location. The room was large and cavelike. In the center there was a dark oak table covered with elaborate Naga carvings. The carvings were highlighted in silver. The table was surrounded by four high backed chairs. They appeared ridged and uncomfortable. Lit by only two torches, the room was dim. The torches revealed the room in an unreal flickering light. When the torch light flickered over the Naga carvings, the Nagas seemed to be slithering. The snake like forms almost seemed to be coiling together tighter and tighter.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked.

"I dunno," Harry responded as he stood up.

"There's nothing here," Sirius said with disappointment. His voice echoed back at him.

"Honestly, we haven't even looked around yet. The book we need has to be here," Hermione resolved.

"This room gives me the creeps," Remus said as he walked over to the table.

"Tell me about it," said James, as he too, went over towards the table. "Who would want their furniture covered in snake carvings?" he asked incredulously.

"They're not snakes," Hermione informed James. "They're Nagas, which are similar to snakes, but with some fundamental differences. First a Naga is much more intelligent than a snake. . ."

Harry stopped listening. He knew more than he wanted to about Nagas. As Voldemort's favorite pet, Harry had had more than his fair share of practical opportunities to deal with Nagas.

Turning his attention to the walls, Harry studied them for clues. They were made of stone, and, as far as he could tell, completely bare. Harry ran his left hand over the wall searching for something. Harry made a complete circuit of the room without finding something before he realized what was wrong.

The room had no doors. They were completely enclosed. Harry stared upwards and was unsurprised to see there were no windows. This couldn't be good; they were trapped. Before he could mention this to the others–

"Harry, come here," Hermione's sharp voice cut into his thoughts.

"What is it?" Harry replied quickly. He strode over to the table where they were huddled.

"This Naga, this one seems to be moving a lot more than the others," Hermione pointed out quietly and looked at him questioningly. Harry studied the Naga in question.

It was moving more than the rest. It's body seemed to be constantly moving and it's thin silvery tongue was flickering up and down. But it didn't seem to be flickering with the light from the torches.

Harry leaned forward to study it closer.

"_. . . issn't happy with youss." _

Harry jumped straight up into the air. Did he just hear the carving speak? After shaking his head, and gathering his courage, Harry leaned forward once again.

"_No, no, no, Massster will not be at all happy with youss. Youss are in is ssspecial roomsss. Without hisss permission. Youss will be sssorry when Masster comesss. He wills make youss ssorry. He'ss coming. He will make youss pay." _

Harry could feel all the blood rush out of his head. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been. He shouldn't have let anybody come with him. They were all in danger and had no way to escape. They were trapped.

Wait, Harry told himself, he shouldn't jump to conclusions. He shouldn't make any rash decisions.

"_He'ss coming. He'ss coming," the Naga hissed. _

"_Who?" Harry hissed back. _Sirius, Remus, and James, gasped in shock, as they stared at Harry in horror. Hermione looked on apprehensively.

"_My massster. You'ss humansss do not sssay hisss name,"_ the Naga hissed back. The words were like a blow to Harry's stomach. He couldn't believe how recklessly he had endangered the other four people.

"You have to leave right now," Harry yelled. "Take the portkey and go."

"You're a Parselmouth?" James asked dumbly.

"_Coming. . ."_

"All of you go, right now there isn't time to explain. Just go!" Harry screamed.

"_Almossst here. . ." _

"What are you talking about? Why do we have to leave?" Sirius whined. Harry dove down and grabbed Sirius's shoe as he was saying this.

"_Sssooo, much trouble. . ." _

"Grab on to the portkey," Harry ordered. Hermione quickly grabbed it, but she was the only one. "This is Voldemort's room. And he's coming, here. Right now." The pure desperation in Harry's voice made Sirius, Remus and James grab on to the portkey. Not that they were anxious to have another encounter with anything relating to Voldemort so soon after they had last been kidnaped.

Harry let go of the portkey, with the intention of staying behind to find the incantation and yelled "Portus," to transport the others away. Nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" Harry demanded.

"_Make you sssuffer. . ." _

"It should have worked. But we aren't leaving you with Voldemort even if you are a Parslemouth," Sirius said in a rush.

"I'll be fine but you have to leave," Harry ordered frantically.

"We aren't leaving you alone," Remus said. James started to let go of Sirius's shoe.

"Portus!" Harry cried out desperately waving his wand forcefully. Nothing happened.

"_He isss here," _the Naga hisses with satisfaction. Sirius's shoe fell to the ground.

"Get out your wands," Harry ordered. This time everybody obeyed Harry. Just as they were pulling out their wands the stone walls started to shift.

"Stand behind me," Harry ordered with such authority in his voice nobody dared disobey him.

The stone walls were rippling and rearranging themselves. Stone, by stone, an arched door way was formed.

A lone tall figure was standing proud in the door way. He was wearing black robes and his face was hidden in shadow, but Harry had no doubt as to who he was.

"And what do we have here?" he said softly. "Have a death wish, do we?" Harry could feel his scar burning, despite the _encumbra _potion he had already taken.

"No, we're quiet happy as it is," Harry answered back coldly without a trace of fear in his voice. In reality he was terrified, but he had been trained to fight this man. He had defeated him before and this time Harry had more experience than Voldemort. Harry knew how Voldemort would fight. He would not let Voldemort stop him from saving Sirius. Fear would be pushed aside, his training would stay with him.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed in confusion. He didn't understand Harry's lack of fear. Glancing behind Harry, Voldemort could tell that the others were terrified. Yet the leader seemed confident.

Foolish and a mere child, Voldemort was sure. The leader couldn't be more than seventeen. Perhaps, he was the one that had foiled his Death Eaters attempts at kidnaping, Voldemort realized.

"Since you have decided to drop in uninvited might you introduce yourself? It is only polite," Voldemort drawled lazily. Harry was forcible reminded of Draco Malfoy. Taking a step closer, Harry tried to get a look at Voldemort's face.

Smiling thinly, Voldemort said, "Don't bother." He then took a step forward and into the torch light.

Harry gasped. Before him was a handsome man of indeterminate age. Chestnut hair, and eyes to match. Harry realized this was Voldemort before he had defeated him the first time. Complete with the charismatic face and personality.

"You can call me Harry," Harry said smiling coldly. He didn't want to outright lie to Voldemort, nor could he tell Voldemort that his last name was Potter.

"_He isss after the book," _the Naga hissed to her master. Voldemort smiled straight back at Harry.

"So, _Harry_, why did you come to such an out-of-the-way place?" Voldemort asked mockingly. Harry looked at him in surprise; the Naga had just told him. Suddenly, Harry realized the present day Voldemort wouldn't know he was a Parselmouth.

"I'm searching for a very rare item," Harry informed him coolly. Voldemort carelessly made a circular motion with his wand. An old ebony book appeared in his hands.

The last vision Harry had suffered flashed into his mind. He remembered the book from it. This must be the book he needed. This must be why he needed to go into the past to retrieve the book. Voldemort must have stolen it and at some point it must have been destroyed.

Now the only thing that stood between him and his God Father was Voldemort. And be damned if that was going to stop him.

"Perhaps this is what you're looking for?" Voldemort asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, it is," Harry said calmly.

"And tell me why I should give this to you instead of kill you all?" Voldemort sneered, as he carefully positioned his wand in his hand. "It might be interesting to see if you have anything to offer for your lives. After all you did manage to get in here. If you weren't clearly mudbloods I might be tempted to bargain with you. However, as it is. . ."

A reckless plan was forming in Harry's mind. He knew it was dangerous but it was the best he could come up with on the spot.

"As it is," Harry hissed back, in a quiet, dangerous voice, "You. Don't. Know. A. Single. Thing." With each word he took a half step forward in a threatening gesture. Voldemort did not look in the least bit intimidated. "I'm going to tell you–

"_Stupefy_," James cut Harry off.

The spell bounced off Voldemort harmlessly. Harry's eyes widened in horror. How could James have been so stupid?

Voldemort raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"_Crucio." _The spell was aimed at Harry. Quickly sidestepping, the curse missed him but hit Hermione instead. She shrieked. Her cries echoed off the ceiling and reverberated across them. For a second Harry was living his nightmare. But the moment past and Harry knew what to do.

Harry punched Voldemort straight in the face as hard as he could. Voldemort was stunned; he hadn't thought to defend himself against a physical attack.

Harry ripped the book and wand from Voldemort's hands, and spun around in one swift motion.

"_Finite Incantatem," _Harry yelled as he threw Voldemort's wand to the other side of the room. Hermione stopped screaming. "Everybody hold hands," Harry ordered. Pale faced everybody complied quickly. Voldemort was coming to his senses.

"_Appartenga," _Harry yelled the incantation to go back to his time. Since the portkey wouldn't work he didn't know what else to do. Nothing happened. Harry didn't have enough power to transport five people through time.

"_Appartenga," _Harry said with all his strength centered behind the word. He concentrated on that word harder than he concentrate on summoning a Patronus.

"_APPARTENGA." _Harry could feel the world rushing by him faster and faster, until abruptly everything came to a stop.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter. This story is coming to an end soon. So tell me what you think. Is it good? Was the beginning too slow? Did James accept Harry too fast? Was the confrontation with Voldemort alright?

By the way, I agree that the letter to Harry's parents wasn't very good, but I couldn't see him leaving without saying goodbye to his parents. Thanks for your comments. I love them.


	19. To the Shrieking Shack

1A/N: This is kind of a transition chapter not much happens and it's short. I'm warning you right now. A little plot but a lot of characterization (I hope). Read, relax, and enjoy. Promise I'll update sooner next time.

Chapter 19: Harry's World

The five Gryffindors felt the world stop rushing past them and they opened their eyes to find themselves in the exact same room. However, Sirius quickly noticed some differences in appearance. The torches weren't lit and the table appeared old and decrepit.

When Sirius turned to tell the others what he realized, he noticed everybody was surrounding Hermione.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked nervously.

"I- yeah," Hermione muttered back.

"Don't worry. We'll be back to Hogwarts soon enough," Harry said resolved.

"Harry, p-please tell me you didn't take all of us to _our _time," Hermione pleaded. Harry winched.

"That's impossible," Remus stated. "It takes a tremendous amount of power and energy to send one person through time. There's no way you could have transported all of us," Remus said with disbelief.

"Er, I did-" Hermione gasped in horror. "-I had to, Voldemort had this room warded. There was no way we were going to escape, when he was alive and guarding it.

"But honestly Harry, what are we going to do with them?" Hermione sighed.

"Er, send them back?" Harry suggested tiredly.

"How bad would it really be, if we just stayed for a just couple of hours," Sirius said hopefully.

"No," Harry replied shaking his head tiredly.

"But-"

"Leave it alone," James said in a low, hollow voice.

Harry noticed that James's face didn't quite seem as carefree as it had been mere hours ago, when he had agreed to come with Harry to find the incantation.

Sirius opened his mouth to protest then shut it, seeing the look on James's and Harry's face. Both of them looked pale and slightly scared. Guilty.

"Are you going to be alright?" James asked Hermione with a dark expression.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Hermione said quietly as she brushed her busy hair back with unsteady hands. The four boys looked at her worriedly.

"Er, do you think you can walk?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Honestly, I've survived being hit with the curse before. I think I'll manage to walk," Hermione snapped, gingerly placed her hands on the cold floor and began to push herself upwards.

She began to sway slightly, and, at the same moment, Harry and James lunged forward to catch her.

Colliding, the three of them fell in a heap.

"I'm so sorry,"Harry saidd, as he quickly scrambled away.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," James said hoarsely.

"I should have known this was a bad idea," Harry muttered to himself. Hermione gave him a sharp understanding look.

"Harry, this isn't your fault. There's no way you could have known Voldemort was going to be there," Hermione said earnestly.

"It was a stupid risk. I could have got somebody killed," Harry said bitterly. James remained silent, his hands limp at his sides.

"Guys, lets get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps," Remus said.

"Where?" Sirius asked with a hint of excitement in his eyes.

"The portkey," James said simply.

"Yes, it'll take us back to the Shrieking Shack and Hogwarts. We can go to Dumbledore, he'll know what we should do," Remus said logically.

"No, I'm not using another portkey," Harry said nervously.

"I'm not going to the Shrieking Shack," Hermione snapped.

"What do you think we should do?" Remus asked. Harry and Hermione stared back at him.

"Er,"

"We could. . ."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other helplessly.

"What's wrong with going to the Shrieking Shack?" James asked hesitantly.

"Lets just do it. We can't do anything here," Hermione said. Harry sighed and nodded as ice slid into his stomach.

"Should we put a Glamour charm on them?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Yes, we can't risk anybody recognizing them," Hermione responded. Slowly she raised her wand, made a circle motion and then jabbed. Remus's hair slowly turned a red color any Weasley could be proud of.

James and Sirius looked at Remus in amazement. Sirius started laughing as he fingered the locks. Remus started to flush.

"I always knew Remus would end up blushing to the roots of his hair," Sirius said with a mock serious face. Remus rolled his eyes.

Hermione turned her wand toward Sirius; he flinched back nervously.

"I could just transform into Padfoot," he said quickly.

"Er, no. I don't think that will work," Harry said. "That might raise unnecessary questions." Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Why do people find out were Animagus?" Sirius asked. Harry looked down and remained silent.

"Oh," Sirius said in surprise. Hermione began to make the circular motions with her wand and Sirius began to transform. His eye's turned from a grey to a hazel color. His jaw became less defined and his hair was lightened by several shades.

Remus looked at Sirius in mild amusement. Sirius felt his face uncomfortably. Hermione repeated the process with James, leaving him with shoulder length blond hair.

"Why did you change my face shape and not theirs?" Sirius asked indignantly.

"Er, I-I, you look very distinctive," Hermione muttered. Both, Harry and Hermione, knew it wouldn't be a good idea if Sirius was recognized.

After Harry defeated Voldemort, Dumbledore had managed to clear Sirius's name with the ministry but it was a little known fact. Hermione carefully decided to avoid mentioning, the present day Sirius had been the prey in the largest manhunt the wizarding world had ever organized.

"Okay," Sirius said disconcerted.

"Lets go," Harry said ignoring the dancing butterflies in his stomach.

"Shouldn't you take your Glamour charm off," Sirius asked.

"Er, yeah, alright then," Harry said as he looked at Hermione. Hermione cancelled Harry's Glamour charm. His skin felt a strange tickling sensation and he heard three gasps. Before facing the other boys Harry cancelled Hermione's Glamour charm. Risking a glance at the others, he saw their expected expressions.

James, Sirius, and Remus stared at the raven haired boy in front of them. He looked nearly identically to James, except the brilliant green eyes. Harry ran is hands through his hair feeling self-conscious of the stares he was receiving.

"Wow, James, he really is your kid," Sirius said in awe. "A lot skinnier, and a bit pale, but he looks like you." James continued to stare at Harry in shock. He really was unbelievably thin.

"I don't understand how any son of James could speak Parselmouth," Remus wondered out loud. Everybody, but Harry who looked down, turned to Remus.

"When you spoke to the Nagas, you were speaking in Parselmouth. Weren't you?" Remus questioned carefully.

"Yes," Harry said gruffly. "I, er, when I got this scar," Harry pointed at his forehead, "from that evil wizard who attacked me I ended up with some strange side effects."

"Harry," Hermione hissed.

"I don't see how telling them that will change anything," Harry replied. James let out a deep breath. Despite the near identical appearance, it was hard to believe this serious child was _his _child.

"It was Voldemort? Wasn't it?" All the pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit. Harry wasn't afraid of Voldemort, because he had faced him before. Voldemort was a Parselmouth and somehow he had given Harry that ability.

"I can't say," Harry said dully. He felt the vague tug on his heart to tell them everything, but the temptation wasn't strong. He had resisted telling them this long and he was finally close to saving Sirius.

"Come on. Lets go," Harry ordered with renewed determination.

All five people grabbed onto the portkey to the Shrieking Shack and felt a familiar tug just behind their navels.

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Harry fell to his knees and tried not to panic. Gasping for breath and straightening his glasses, Harry tried to remain calm.

"It's alright Harry," Hermione said gently from the ground beside Harry. Hermione still seemed a bit peaky from her encounter with the Unforgivable. Harry opened his eyes. The room was dark, but just like he remembered it.

His eyes immediately traveled to the blood stains on the floor. The stains from Wormtail's coppery blood. Glancing over at Hermione, Harry was relieved to see she looked nervous, but composed. After all, Hermione had been there when Harry killed Wormtail. She was the person Wormtail kidnaped to lure Harry down here without a wand.

"Where did that blood come from?" Remus asked completely deadpan. Harry hesitated. He couldn't tell them the blood was from the fourth Marauder, but he knew that Remus must be thinking he was the cause of this blood.

Harry felt to tired to argue and say he didn't need to know, but he also felt to exhausted to think up a decent lie. Harry suddenly realized it must be the middle of the night. The hadn't left for the museum until well after diner– Shaking himself, Harry realized the Marauders were expecting an answer.

"Er, its– I got in a fight down here." The three boys stared at him incredulously. James's eyes widened and he went to run his hand threw his hair, but stopped when his fingers hit the unfamiliar blond locks.

"I did, this guy. . . he was a supporter of Voldemort. I-I had to fight him," Harry stuttered, feeling unreasonable guilty over killing the traitor. Harry's blood burned furiously, and he was suddenly very glad he was back in the present time. He would never have to see the traitor again.

"The man attacked me. Harry did what he had to, to defend me," Hermione said quietly.

"And what were two doing down here alone?" Sirius said suddenly lighthearted and with a grin.

"Boys," Hermione muttered as she rolled her eyes. Harry suddenly smiled and couldn't stop a chuckle.

"I can see it now, 'Harry Potter and the Secret Snogging Shack' by the lovely Rita Skeeter," Harry grinned. Hermione started giggling.

"I should have never let her out of that bottle," she smirked. The other three were staring at them like they were insane. Seeing there expression, Hermione decided to elaborate, "Harry and I are not involved, but as for the rest you'll find out yourself in about twenty years."

"Lets get out of here," Harry said before anybody could reply to Hermione.

Exchanging looks they all started walking towards the Whomping Willow. The trip was relatively silent and thoughtful.

James couldn't stop brooding over the fact that because of him, Hermione had been hit by an Unforgivable curse. Nor could comprehend the fact that his son was brave enough to stand up to Lord Voldemort. Some of the time Harry seemed unpredictable and moody, but he was undeniable Gryffindor, despite the fact he could speak parselmouth. As hard as James tried he couldn't fathom a future that would lead him to have a son like Harry.

A/N: Er, I hope you like it. Please review. I promise the next chapter will be better.

Stupid, worthless school makes it hard to find the time to write. Not to mention very distracting peers. Arg. I miss the summer.


	20. Harry's World

1DISCLAIMER: HARRY NOT MINE.

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update, life's been getting in the way. Wow, I have a social life. That's a first. Thanks for all the reviews; I live off them.

Chapter 20: Harry's World

The five Gryffindor's crawled out from under the Whomping Willow to find themselves in full day light. The sun was partially covered by clouds, but nevertheless, it appeared to be mid-afternoon.

"Isn't it supposed to be night time?" Sirius asked as the five moved a safe distance away from the Willow. Harry was looking around confused; it should have been the middle of the night.

"Honestly boys, we just traveled through time. Not only did we go about twenty years into the future, we travel into the middle of the day," Hermione informed them automatically.

"Er, right. Lets go see Dumbledore. The sooner this is resolved the better," Harry said. The five started walking across the grounds towards Hogwarts' main entrance. Sirius, James, and Remus were all staring around at the grounds, searching for differences between their Hogwarts and the present Hogwarts.

"Is Hagrid still the gamekeeper?" Remus asked as he spotted Hagrid's hut. Smiling, Harry was pleased to note, to himself, that Hagrid was not only the gamekeeper but a teacher.

"We can't tell you anything you don't need to know," Hermione said in a disapproving voice.

"Ahh, come on," Sirius whined.

"No," Hermione said curtly.

"How 'bout this? If we walk past any of our children or Harry's siblings, you point them out?" Sirius said with puppy dog eyes. Hermione shot a nervous glance at Harry.

"We can't risk telling you anything else," Hermione said firmly. Sirius looked at Harry, wounded.

"Fine, if I see any of your children I'll point them out," Harry said dully. He knew he would not be seeing any of Sirius's children, as he had none. Hermione started to glare at Harry, then seeing his expression, looked away without saying anything; Harry was obviously feeling guilty.

As the five made their way though the main doors of Hogwarts, Harry tried not to think about the fact this would be the last time he would see his father. Harry sighed and ignored the way his stomach was churning painfully.

Knowing he couldn't save his father from Voldemort and knowing he couldn't do a thing to warn James of his fate was clawing at the inside of Harry's stomach. He had saved so many others, why couldn't he save his parents too?

"Wow, look at how the paintings have changed. Hey, that one of the purple seahorse used to be by the hospital wing," Sirius exclaimed. Remus began to respond, but Harry didn't listen.

He couldn't help remember the first time he came to Hogwarts nearly six years ago. Overwhelmed, excited, frightened, hopeful and alone.

The corridor he was walking down was familiar enough to be engraved in his memory. As were most corridors in Hogwarts.

The five were now on the second floor near Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. Memories of second year assaulted Harry. 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware,' written in blood. It had finally been washed of the walls.

Harry sighed and let himself feel self-pity, a personality trait Hermione detested. If only he could tell James what was going to happen in the future, so much could be fixed. Ginny would never have to suffer at the hand of Voldemort, but that in itself was hardly a fraction of the motivation for his desire. Harry didn't even let his thoughts stray towards the Dursley's.

". . .Moaning Myrtle still haunt that bathroom?" Sirius was asking.

"Oh course, she is a ghost. Its not like she has anywhere else to go," Hermione said.

Harry tried to focus on their conversation.

"It's hard to believe–" Remus was cut off by a sudden squeak.

"Harry, Harry, where have you been?" Colin Creevey shouted enthusiastically to Harry. Harry groaned. Classes were in session; how had Colin found him? Ever since the finally battle Colin's 'admiration' for Harry had increased tenfold. Harry wasn't sure how that was possible.

"How did you find me so soon?" Harry said with a weak smile. He was well aware of the strange looks James, Sirius, and Remus were giving him.

"I got bit by a flobberworm so Hagrid let me leave class early and then I saw you and I had to say hi, HI!" Colin beamed, evidently thrilled, as he waved his injured arm in the air.

"Oh, er. . ."

"Who are your friends? I've never seen them before!" Colin asked quickly.

"Eh, Snuffles," Harry said pointing to Sirius, who snorted.

"Romulus," Hermione introduced Remus who looked at her incredulously.

"And thats, er, Stag. . ." Harry finished lamely. James tried not to laugh.

"Oh, hi, I'm Colin Creevey. Who are you? When did you meet? Are you really good friends?" Colin asked happily. Harry was inwardly groaning. They had to get away from him.

"We're great friends and have known each other for a long time," Sirius asked suppressing laughter.

"Really! I've got to get a picture!" Harry's eyes widened in horror, but he supposed he should be used to it by now.

"I'm sorry Colin, but I'm, er, kind of busy," Harry tried to say.

"Nonsense, we have plenty of time," Sirius said grinning, and obviously enjoying the attention. Harry started stepping away nervously, but Sirius grabbed onto his arm and grinned at him mischievously. Before Harry could do another thing Colin snapped the picture.

"Awesome, wait until I tell Dennis. I lost the last batch of film with you on it. I was so furious you wouldn't believe it. I've got to get plenty more to replace the ones I lost," Colin smiled uncontrollably. "Could you auto–"

"Colin we have to go," Hermione snapped, cutting him off. Harry and Hermione all but ran until they were out of ear shot of Colin. The two exchanged looks that clearly read, 'that was close.'

As soon as Harry and Hermione slowed down the three following boys burst into laughter.

"What was that about?" Sirius managed to say between breathes. Harry bit his lip.

"You didn't tell us you had a fan club," Remus said accusingly as his amber eyes sparkled with humor. James looked incredulous at the whole situation.

"Well, I assumed my son would be popular. . ." he shook his head in disbelief. Harry pushed his fringe down self-consciously. Harry wondered what they would say if they knew he actually had a fan club.

Hermione had tried to help Harry convince the Ministry official to ban the fan club, but he had no such luck. In fact, the Ministry supported the fan club and anything else 'pro-The-Boy-Who-Lived' ever since he had defeated Voldemort.

Harry groaned; he really wished he didn't have an actually fan club. It made him feel like he was being put in the same category as idiots like Lockhart. Whenever Harry heard the phrase 'fan club' he had the insane urge to shave off all of his hair, just so nobody could claim he used their hair care product.

"About Colin. . .he's, er, a little over enthusiastic," Harry tried to say flippantly.

"Right," Sirius said incredulously.

"He takes pictures of you? Often?" Remus questioned.

"He's a camera freak," Harry tried to explain away. The three boys from the past looked at him in disbelief.

"Harry's his role model," Hermione said practically.

"Why?" James asked, suddenly curious about his son.

"Er," Harry started.

"He saved his little brother from the Giant Squid," Hermione lied suddenly.

The three Marauders exchanged looks but didn't comment.

Harry and Hermione continued walking toward Dumbledore's office as fast as they could, desperate to avoid anybody else. After several nervous minutes in the corridors they reached the stone gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. Harry turned to Hermione with a grimace on his face.

"Do you know the password?" Hermione shook her head.

"Lemon drop," she suggested timidly. The statue remained still, for a moment. Before anybody could guess again the gargoyle sprang to life and began moving. But this time it was to let somebody out of Dumbledore's office, not in.

To Harry's chagrin, Snape came walking down the spiraling stair case. Harry couldn't think of a single thing to do. Snape sneered as he spotted Harry.

"Mr. Potter, I see you have decided to grace Hogwarts with your presences once again. How unfortunate." His thin lips curled into a smirk. "And pray tell, who did you bring along with you? What has our golden boy gotten himself into this time?"

'Golden boy?' James wondered. Why was Snape calling Harry 'golden boy.'

"I need to see Dumbledore," Harry said evenly.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for not answering my questions. Who are those three?" Snape sneered.

"Friends," Harry said coldly. "I need to see Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore is busy. I'm terribly afraid you're just going to have to wait like everybody else."

Harry gritted his teeth trying to keep control over his anger. Harry had enjoyed his relative anonymity for the past couple of weeks. He was sick of fan clubs and he was sick of Snape bullying him because of his so called celebrity status. He had already faced Voldemort today, he was tired, and he wasn't about to let Snape mess with him.

"Its important. I need to see Professor Dumbledore. Now," Harry said with steel behind his voice.

"Still just as arrogant as your father I see. Strutting about like you own the school. . ." A thousand thoughts whipped through Harry's head. The image of his father's proud face, Snape insulting his mother, Snape's beaten body tied to a tree.

"I'm nothing like my father and you know that," Harry burst out before he could think. "I would never beat the shit out of somebody and tie them up outside in the cold wearing nothing but underwear. I'm ten times more fucking mature than he ever was and you know that so stop treating me like I'm his clone. Because, incase you haven't noticed I'm not." Harry stopped, horrified at what he had said. Hazarding a look at James, Harry saw his face had paled. Harry swallowed hard.

Everybody stood their stunned, starring at Harry. James opened his mouth and shut it unable to think.

A somewhat mystified Dumbledore walked down the spiral staircase to find the six standing in silence. Eyes twinkling Dumbldore offered, "Perhaps you would like to finish this conversation in my office."

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As James sat down in Dumbledore's office he barely noticed a thing. He didn't notice how pale Harry was and he certainly didn't notice the familiar decor of the office.

His son hated him. He had disobeyed Harry, and gotten his friend hit with an Unforgivable. Harry hated him. A thousand thoughts spiraled through his head. Echoing everything he had done to screw up the situation.

He was supposed to be this man's father, but Harry seemed by far more mature than James ever would be. James wondered how he had helped create anything so intelligent and brave.

"Lemon drop?" Dumbledore offered the six gently. The words shook James out of his trance. Suddenly he noticed the five of them were sitting in front of Dumbledore's desk. Snape was still on his feet, leering at them.

"No thanks," Harry replied with a slight smile on his face.

"Harry, I need you to explain what happened? How did you bring Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin, and Mr. Black to the future? And why?" Dumbledore said unconcernedly.

Harry sighed and quickly lunched into his tail. James listened carefully, desperate to hear the events from his sons point of view. Most of what he said wasn't a revelation.

". . . I told everybody to stay back but James attacked Voldemort, and the spell bounced off. So I punched him in the face, Voldemort not James. Then I transported them here because I figured the room was warded against portkeys. . ."

James looked into Harry's eyes. He seemed so mature for a kid his age. Too mature, James thought. What had his son been through? Running his hands through his hair, James made a decision, he was going to protect his child at all costs. He wasn't going to let his Harry suffer like this one had. His Harry was never going to have to fight Voldemort. He would never let his son be attacked by a dark wizard. His son wasn't going to know what the word 'grounded' meant. And Harry would love him.

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Dumbledore didn't seem angry, although Snape looked livid, Harry thought dully. He had finished retelling what had happened. The only thing left to do was to wait for Dumbledore's judgment.

"May I see this book?" Dumbledore inquired quietly.

"Yeah," Harry said and handed him over the ebony book. Dumbledore took the book hesitantly. Very slowly, he opened the book. Something flashed in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Harry, you and your friends should go down to the Great Hall for dinner. Don't let anybody know who they are. Come up here in an hour or two once your finished eating," Dumbledore said with an innocent smile.

"Headmaster, surely you don't think that is wise. If the students were to discover the identity of these three, it would, I believe, cause chaos," Snape said silkily. Harry hated to think it, but he agreed. If Sirius, James, and Remus, talked with the other students it was bound to cause problems. It would only take one student to mention that fact that Harry had defeated Voldemort. If they found out about that, it could cause them to change the past. Or their future.

"Nonsense, they'll be fine. Off with you now," Dumbledore waved them away.

Just as the five began to get up Dumbledore's fireplace flared to life. Fudge's head was floating in the middle of the fire.

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I need a word about the– Is that Harry Potter I see? What is he doing in your office?" Harry groaned; he really did hate the minister. "I'm going to come through to your office."

Before Dumbledore could protest Fudge stepped though the fire, green bowler hat and all.

Harry looked down and tried to keep his anger in check. He had not forgiven the Minister for a number of things. The foremost being the Minister hadn't exonerated Sirius until Fudge had seen Wormtail's dead body. Fudge stepped forward with a fake smile plastered on his face. Harry realized he once would have been fooled by such a smile.

'Just don't say anything,' Harry ordered himself.

"My boy, you gave us all a scare, disappearing like that. Quite a few of us were worried you wouldn't come back. I knew you wouldn't leave us wizards though." Fudge laughed heartily. Harry clenched his jaw shut. "Don't worry about getting in trouble. Nobody's mad at you for breaking into the Ministry of Magic. Just don't disappear on me again," Fudge said with a smile.

Snape was glowering in anger. He was barely restraining himself from hexing the Minister.

Harry was angry himself. He wished he could be normal; he wished it wasn't up to him to save everybody's life. He wished he could be punished for something normal.

"I need access to the Department of Mysteries again," Harry said firmly. Snape snorted and glared at everybody. Harry got everything he wanted and he was going to bring Snape's childhood rival back to life.

"Well, Harry, it's complicated you see," Fudge began.

"It's only as complicated as you make it. You're giving me access to the Black Veil if you know what's good for you." Harry could feel how close he was to rescuing Sirius. He wasn't going to let anything stop him. He had already stood up to Voldemort, a little matter like the Minister of Magic wasn't going to deter him.

"A-are you threatening me?" Fudge said nervously.

"He's warning you. If you don't give him access to the veil you're political career will be over," Hermone informed Fudge.

"After all I've been in enough fights to have my brain addled; I'm crazy enough to do it, " Harry said harshly.

"Tomorrow evening?" Fudge asked. "It's the soonest time I can get it authorized." Harry hadn't forgotten how Fudge had convinced the Wizarding world that he was crazy. Fudge knew how powerful Harry Potter was magically as well as politically. And Harry was angry enough to ruin Fudge. Being a war hero had it's advantages and if Harry openly opposed Fudge, he wouldn't have a chance.

"Tomorrow will be fine," Hermione said with fake politeness. She looked to Dumbledore for conformation.

"Of course you should be ready for the ritual by then," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "Now go get some food. It's nearly time for dinner."

The five walked past an enraged, but oddly silent Potions Master and left the office. None of them seemed eager to talk.

James couldn't begin to fathom what had happened to his son. His son was powerful and bold enough to challenge the Minister of Magic. James had no idea how he should treat Harry when he was born. Suddenly understanding why learning about the future was so dangerous, James sighed.

Even if he couldn't change his sons past, he was going to make his son know he approved of him and loved him. Even if his son didn't feel the same way. He was going to do everything he could for his strange child.

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter. I'll try to update sooner next time, but I'm slowly losing interest in the story. BUT I promise I will finish the story. I've written to much to quit now. Especially since I'm so close to the end. Hmm, do you want a happy ending or a sad ending?


	21. Harry Potter and His Legacy

1A/N: Thank you. Thanks. And thank you. If it weren't for all you reviews this chapter would have never been written. Sorry it took so long. Its kind of short I guess. Enjoy.

Chapter 21: Harry Potter and His Legend

Sirius was brimming with curiosity and was quite annoyed to realized he was the only one. The group of Gryffindors were slowly but surely making their way down to the Great Hall for dinner. Sirius could barely restrain himself from spouting out questions. First and foremost on his mind was Harry's outburst against the Minister of Magic and, of course, his statements concerning James.

Sirius had been intrigued by this green eyed stranger from the moment he had seen Harry sleeping in his dormitory. And after so much careful observation he wasn't about to let Harry slip away into the future without getting answers.

Sirius observed Harry quickly push his hair down over his scar and straighten his glasses. It seemed to be a nervous habit.

And Harry had a perfectly good reason to be nervous. Preventing the Marauder's from learning about his past and their future was going to be a challenge. The little run in with Harry's fan club was enough to prove that.

Pinching his nose and closing his eyes Harry briefly paused before entering the Great Hall. Getting through dinner was not going to be an easy task.

James readily observed Harry's exhaustion and was reminded of his own. After failing to stifle his yawn, James covered his mouth belatedly. Soon after, Hermione and Remus were attempting to stifle yawns of their own.

The five trudged into the Great Hall and made their way down to the end of the Gryffindor table. Dinner wasn't going to start for about twenty more minutes, classes still hadn't been let out yet, and they were the only people in the cavernous hall.

Harry dropped down and laid his head on the table. Eyes itching with lack of sleep, Harry blinked heavily. The remaining four sat around Harry.

"How did you get away with talking to the Minister of Magic like that," Sirius whispered, after glancing around to make sure nobody was listening.

Harry groaned.

"I'll talk to you later," he muttered.

Glancing at Harry in annoyance, Sirius bit back a reply. Harry looked pale, clammy, and his eyes were have shut. Sirius looked to the others to see what they thought of this, but they appeared not to have noticed. James looked lost in thought; Remus and Hermione looked on the verge of falling asleep.

Suddenly Remus's words came back to Sirius. Transporting people through time took a tremendous amount of power and energy. Harry had brought all five of them twenty years in the future. No wonder he looked like he was about to pass out. Sirius suddenly realized how tired _he _felt.

"Hey guys why don't we go get some sleep. We can sneak into the kitchen later," Sirius suggested, reasoning he'd have plenty of time tomorrow to get information. Everybody quickly agreed.

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Light seeped onto Harry's face. Waking him, to find himself in a familiar room containing three extra beds. Harry had slept late and the seven other boys in the dormitory were already awake.

"S-s-so what did you say your name is?" Dean said fighting a yawn.

"R-Romulous," Remus replied, suddenly appericating Harry's difficulties. "we'll be gone by tonight."

"Well, break ends in about forty minutes so you better hurry up," Dean said as he left the dorm with a sleepy looking Seamus.

"Who are they really?" Ron asked after prodding Harry in the side. Harry groaned, wishing he was still asleep.

"Eh," Harry began, but Ron cut him off.

"Do they have to do with . . . you know?" Ron asked in a loud whisper. Remus raised his eyebrows and Harry had trouble not laughing at Ron's obvious lack of subtlety. Harry glanced around before answering.

Harry quickly filled Ron in on everything that had happened.

Looking bewildered Ron replied, "So you punched V-Voldemort and transported them all here."

"That about sums it up," Harry shrugged.

"But I thought that the spell you used was only supposed to transport people to the time they belonged in," Ron said in confusion.

"Eh, I guess I just pulled them with me."

"Leave it to you to do the impossible mate," Ron said shaking his head. Harry grinned; he did have a tendency to do the impossible.

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Ron was choking on a piece of bacon when Harry saw Colin and Dennis approach him. Harry had situated himself at the very end of the Gryffindor table in hopes of staying isolated. James hit Ron on the back.

"Thanks man," Ron coughed out without looking at James. He quickly took a sip of his pumpkin juice. Ron was slightly freaked out about sitting next to Harry's dead father, but tried not to show it. After all, if Harry had to deal with a living Wormtail, he could hardly complain about sitting next to James.

Harry, however, did not even notice the exchange. He was staring at Colin walking towards him excitedly.

"Oh look its your little friends," Sirius said grinning.

"Alrigh' Harry?" Colin said before shoving a picture in front of his face. "I thought you might like a copy. Harry starred down at the picture of him and Hermione with the Marauders in disguise. Harry smiled faintly, trying to force a down a wave of foreboding.

"Where have you been Harry?"

"Er."

"Did you do anything exciting? Dangerous? Save anybody's life?"

"Eh." Harry felt his face heat up and studied the plate of food in front him intently.

"So you really like Harry. Don't you?" Sirius asked slyly.

"I fought a giant slug," Harry blurted out the first thing that came into his head.

"Huh?" said Remus. "No you didn't."

"Yeah, and I want to hear why Colin likes Harry so much. _Really _what's so great about him?" Sirius tried to cajole the information out of him. James elbowed Sirius.

"This is a really nice picture Colin," Hermione said, trying to prevent Colin from telling the Marauders about Harry's past.

"You think? I'm going to show it to the rest of the fan club then," Colin squeaked.

"Why does Harry have a fan club?" Sirius asked quickly, ignoring James as he stomped on his foot.

"We're gonna find out something we shouldn't," James hissed remembering the consequences of disobeying Harry the previous day. Colin missed the exchange.

"So . . ." Sirius prompted.

Harry flinched as Colin opened his mouth to speak. Harry's mouth flew open but nothing came out; he couldn't think of a single thing to say.

Luckily, owls started swooping down with the mail. A tawny owl landed in front of Colin, dropping off a letter. Giving the owl and enthusiastic pat, Colin grabbed the letter.

"Yes, its from Witch Weekly about my photographs! There going to use the ones with Harry playing in the Gryffindor/Slytherin match." Collin squeaked and was quickly distracted. "I'll be right back Harry. I've got to tell Denis."

Harry breathed deeply in relief. Throwing off Colin was always a challenge; he had just got lucky. Unfortunately his luck was about to run out. A screech owl dropped a Daily Prophet in front of Hermione.

With a gasp and a squeak, Hermione snatched the Daily Prophet up and shot a panicked look at Harry and Ron. They scooted closer to Hermione and glanced at the front page.

'Sirius Black Receives Order of Merlin First Class Posthumously'

All the blood drained from Harry's face. He starred at Hermione then at Sirius in horror. Ron's mouth was gapping open like a fish. None of the three were sure what to do.

"Don't worry we're not going to try and read the newspaper. Are we?" Remus said guessing the current generations distress. James nodded quickly; Sirius nodding only after receiving death glares from all five of the others.

"Promise you won't even try to look at the headlines?" Harry asked sternly.

Remus tugged on his sleeves and nodded. Still shaken up over the fight with Voldemort James quickly agreed. Sirius looked defiant, but nodded after rolling his eyes.

Harry let a breathe out of his tight chest releasing tension. Hermione quickly folded up the paper and put it in her book bag. Ron turned back to his food and Harry looked around for Colin. He was at the other end of the table with Dennis. A safe distance for now. Harry let out a real sigh of relief.

As soon as Harry turned to his breakfast, he heard footsteps behind him. Nervously Harry quickly whipped around to find himself face to face with Luna Lovegood. She had a dreamy expression on her face and looked as thought she had wandered over by accident.

"Hi Harry," she said breezily. Harry noticed James staring at her raddish earrings; Harry swallowed awkwardly.

"Hey Luna," Harry replied.

"Don't worry Harry. Fudge only wants the public to think he's dead. We both know he's still alive," Luna said vaguely.

"Who's supposed to be dead?" Sirius asked.

"Sirius Black," Luna replied dreamily before wandering off. The six people stared at each other in dead silence. Sirius paled and his eyes grew large.

"W-what?" Sirius asked hoarsely. Harry opened his mouth and closed it; he didn't know what to say. He desperately wanted to tell him the truth. Wanted to reassure him that everything would be okay.

"L-Luna's right. You're not _dead,_" Harry said quietly. But as things often do in Harry's life the situation escalated.

Colin and Dennis walked up to them at this exact moment.

Giving them an odd look Colin said, "Of course he's not dead. Anyway I thought I'd answer that question. You probably assume I just like Harry Potter because he defeated You-Know-Who, but it's really so much more than that. . ." Colin cut off, only now realizing that three pairs of eyes were glaring at him furiously and three other pairs of eyes were looking at him in shock.

"Now isn't the time Colin," Hermione ground out.

"Right then." Colin backed away giving his brother a questioning look.

"He's dead," James said dully.

"You defeated You-Know-Who?" Sirius murmured.

"Maybe we had better talk in private," Harry suggested tightly. The six stood up and made their way to the Room of Requirement for privacy. The trip was made in dead silence. Not even Sirius looked around curiously.

Hermione opened the door and found a table with six chairs around it. Everybody sat down and looked at Harry expectantly. He knew he should try to lie. He knew he couldn't tell them the truth but he had to. He wanted to. From the moment he found out he was going to meet his parents he wanted to tell them.

James, Sirius, and Remus, already knew so much. Harry had to tell them; Damn the consequence.

"I guess I'll start at the beginning. . ."

A/N: Hoped you liked it. Please tell me what you think.


	22. Sirius Peace

A/N: This is dedicated to all of my faithful reviews. I would have never put this chapter out if it weren't for you. I'm sorry it took so long. The next one shouldn't take nearly as long now that I'm inspired. Sorry if my writing's a little rusty. It has been awhile. And this hasn't been betaed.

Chapter 22: Finding Peace

Three boys sat around a table in stunned silence. None of them spoke. Each just looked at the other boys hoping for some sort of explanation, some sort of denial. Anything to make the situation more tangible.

Harry had told them everything. The complete unabridged truth. The three Marauders had gasped in shock has Harry told them how he defeated Voldemort for a second time in his first year. They had raged in denial and anger as he told them of Wormtail's betrayal, paled in anticipation as Harry spoke about the triwizard tournament.

Sirius hadn't once opened his mouth since he had listened to Harry describe how he had fallen into the Black Veil. Everything about Harry Potter made a lot more sense. His power, his temper, his everything. . .

Everything seemed too far fetched for James. How could his son have done all that? How could he have died when Harry was only a baby? All the pieces of the puzzle fit but he didn't want to believe it. His son couldn't have grown up unloved, with the Dursleys.

"Where did Harry and Hilary go?" Remus cut into James's and Sirius's thoughts. As soon as Harry finished his life story he had let Hermione drag him out of the room. At the time Remus had assumed Harry simply needed some time to collect his emotions. His tale hadn't been an easy one to hear and Remus doubted it was easy to tell.

"I don't know," James replied dully. Suddenly he stood up and lunged at Remus, hugging him. Remus hugged James back uncertainly. It wasn't like James to express his emotions so spontaneously.

"James?" Remus questioned quietly.

"You're the only one he has left," James said through a strained voice. "Sirius and I are gone. You're the only parent he has left."

"But I'm not," Remus whispered hopefully.

"Me and Sirius are dead. Who else would he have left?" James nearly shouted. Suddenly he understood first hand why Harry was so temperamental. "I'm going to fail him. I'm going to leave him in this world without protection and he hates me for it." His voice broke off.

"Harry must have went back in time to save Sirius," Remus said.

"What?" James asked with a desperate hope shining in his eyes.

"He never got around to telling us why he went into the past. Me and Sirius spent hours researching the Black Veil. It must have been to save Sirius," Remus concluded. For the first time since Sirius had heard of his supposed death he looked up. James saw a haunted look in Sirius's eyes; the kind of look that would be only too familiar to Harry.

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"Harry we have to go to Dumbledore so he can erase their memories," Hermione hissed urgently.

"No," Harry replied calmly.

Hermione glared at Harry in exasperation. Swirling emotion filled Harry's eyes making them darker than normal. Or maybe his eyes only looked so dark because he was so unusually pale.

"Harry if they go back knowing what they know, they'll change everything," Hermione insisted.

"I know," Harry said softly.

"But you can't risk it Harry. I know you want to save your parents. But everything would change. Voldemort might never be defeated if you mess with the past," Hermione pleaded.

"I know," Harry repeated. Sighing, Harry looked down and clasped his hands together so hard his knuckles started to turn white. Telling his father everything had been what he wanted to do from the moment he first saw him. But it was shockingly hard.

Harry had tried to gloss over the worst parts, but he had seen the disgust on James's face throughout his story. His father knew he was a murderer. His father knew he had caused his best friend's death. His father hated him.

"You can't let them remember what you told them," Hermione begged.

"They won't," Harry responded with a calm he didn't feel. Telling them had been for nothing. They weren't going to remember anyway. Would his father hate mean something if his father didn't remember it. Harry thought it might.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"We send them back to their own time in the Black Veil," Harry responded simply.

"Memory loss," Hermione said in sudden understanding.

"They won't remember any of this," Harry said pained.

"Oh Harry–" Hermione began. But Harry cut her off.

"It doesn't matter anyway. James has been dead for along time. At least this way I'll have my godfather." Harry's voice sounded slightly defeated. "Even if I'll never have my father's approval."

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"He shouldn't even both," Sirius said without emotion.

"What?" exclaimed James.

"He shouldn't both trying to save me," Sirius repeated his eyes haunted.

"How can you even say that?" Remus said with rising anger.

"I've done nothing but fail him," Sirius shouted. "I'm going to spend 12 worthless miserable years in Azkaban. Then I'm going to die on him. I'm a complete failure as a godfather. I'm never going to be there for him," Sirius finished quietly.

James didn't know what to say. He felt the same way. Like he knew he was going to abandon his son to a horrible fate and there was nothing he could do about it. Dully James decided he did deserve Harry's hate. Killing Voldemort, surviving Voldemort, avenging all the Marauders against Wormtail, Harry had accomplished so much. And all he had managed to do was get Harry's friend hit was an Unforgiveable. James had never felt so worthless and inferior.

The door suddenly swung open. Harry and Hermione walked in. The three boys at the table barely looked up.

"Er, are you guys alright?" Harry asked lamely. None of them would even meet his eyes. "I'm going to send you back into your time tonight with the veil." The responded with silence. The moment stretched on until–

"I won't be friends with Wormtail. You can't ask us to do that," Sirius said. Harry smiled painfully.

"You will be friends with him," he said matter of factly.

"You can't make us," James affirmed.

"And why wouldn't you be friends with him," Harry asked slyly.

"He's a traitor," Sirius shouted.

"But you're not going to remember that," Harry said simply.

"The memory charm?" James said, his face paling.

"No, the Black Veil will erase some of your memory just as it did to mine." The three boys looked at him in shock. Their faces almost looked betrayed.

"You can't let that happen," Sirius whispered hurt.

"I have to. Do you really want all of this hanging over your head. Knowing that you're going to spend 12 years in Azkaban," Harry said solemnly. All of them nodded in understanding.

"So we're going to forget all of this?" James asked. Harry nodded.

"Its for the best."

'At least I won't remember that I'm going to be a failure," James thought bitterly.

"Why are you even bothering?" Sirius asked.

"Bothering with what?" Harry asked genuinely confused.

"Saving me." Harry looked like he had been stricken. Looking into Sirius's face, Harry saw an all too familiar haunted look.

"Because you mean the world to me," Harry replied simply and honestly. Finally, Harry thought, he could answer one of Sirius's overly personal questions honestly.

"I'm never going to be there for you," Sirius retorted bitterly.

"You will be when I need you." Harry hesitated before continuing. "The first time I made a Patronus I was thinking of you. You're in my happiest memories." Sirius's eyes widened in surprise.

"At the end of my third year after I meet you, you offered to let me come live with you. I barely knew you but you offered me a home. And more than anything I want to take you up on that offer. In fact I mean to," Harry said trying to keep the thick emotion out of his voice. Sirius let out a shaky breath and hugged Harry. Harry hugged him back fiercely. It was quite a few moments before either of them let go.

The hug broke off awkwardly. But neither man was embarrassed, a slightly amazing feat considering two 17 year old men had just exchanged an emotionally charged huge.

James watched the exchange silently feeling jealous coil through his stomach. Harry felt some connection to Sirius that he would never enjoy. Sirius and his son would get to spend time together, the time he would never have.

A/N: Please, please review. Reviews are the only thing that keeps me writing and I really want the motivation to finish this.


	23. Mistakes, Murderers, and More

1A/N: I bet nobody was expecting another chapter so soon eh? Well this chapter is kinda long, but it shouldn't be long until the story is finished. Once again this isn't beta read. I lost my wonderful beta reader. . .Anyways I hope you enjoy. And of course I will adore all reviews.

Chapter 23: Mistakes, Murderers, and More

"Hilary would you mind taking me and Sirius back down to the kitchen?" Remus asked.

Hermione was looking at Remus speculatively. 'Why would he, a Marauder and a student of Hogwarts, need a guide to the schools kitchen. Hermione met Remus's gaze and a sudden understanding passed across her face.

"Huh?" James looked at Hermione confused. "Oh. . . her name's actually Hermione. I suppose with everything else you've told us knowing your friend's real name isn't that big a deal." Seeing his friends questioning looks, he responded, "I saw her name on the map. What did you do to the map to hide your name?" The question was directed at Harry.

"Oh just a confusing charm. But Remus figured out what I did. That's why I had to tell them when I was from.".

"Come on I'll take the two of you down to the kitchen. I expect you're hungry after having breakfast cut short. It's nearly time for lunch anyways," Hermione broke in.

Harry winced, contorting his face. What was Hermione thinking? If she left with Sirius and Remus he'd be left alone with James. Harry didn't know how to deal with James. James hated him. The last thing he wanted was to be left in a room alone with him, with nothing to do but talk to him.

James saw the look of horror that crossed Harry's face when he realized his friends were going to leave them alone. James felt a cold trickling sensation in his stomach. This might be his only chance to prove himself to Harry, to redeem himself.

"Why–" Sirius began. But Remus jerked on Sirius's sleeve and gave him a pointed look to shut up.

Hermione, Remus, and Sirius left the room without saying another word. The door clanged shut. No other noise came to fill the silence. James looked down at the floor, while Harry studied his fingernails. The silence stretched on. Neither man knew what to say.

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"Why'd you do that? I still wanted to talk to Harry," Sirius complained.

Remus and Hermione rolled their eyes at Sirius.

"Sirius, the two of us are still going to be alive in this time. We have plenty of more chances to talk to Harry and we aren't even related to him. This is Harry's last chance to _ever_ spend time with his father," Remus pointed out.

"Oh," Sirius said softly, his eyes widening in comprehension.

"Not to mention we did miss most of breakfast and I'm hungry," Remus said loudly trying to fill Sirius's usual role of lightening the mood.

"Well now that you mention it-- I am kinda hungry," Sirius said cheerfully with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Boys," Hermione muttered as she went down to the kitchen with them.

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What could he do to possibly make James like him? What could he do to make James not think of him as a monster? Respect him? The questions burned through Harry's mind. As if in slow motion Harry saw James opening his mouth. The last thing Harry wanted to do was talk more.

"Quidditch," Harry shouted wildly.

"What?" James asked confused.

"We should play some Quidditch. We have new brooms. Well new to you. They're actually old, but they'll be new to you," Harry rambled.

James didn't know if he should be insulted. Had Harry just called him old? And besides he wanted to try and talk with Harry, to set things right. If he spent the whole afternoon playing Quidditch he would never have the time. But, James decided, this was probably going to be one of his few chances to give Harry what he wanted, so if Harry wanted to play Quidditch, he would.

"Sounds good to me," James replied.

"Alright lets go." Harry stood up and started walking. James followed.

As they walked through the halls past the other students, Harry began to think. He decided Quidditch was a good idea. James would be able to see him do something he was good at. Something that normal kids did, not something that a murdering freak would enjoy.

Abruptly James stopped and peered around a corner.

"James?" Harry questioned.

"Huh?" James said giving Harry a startled look.

"What are you looking at?" Harry said even as he tried to search for something that would cause James to stop and stare.

"When did they put that swamp in?" James questioned. At that, Harry broke out into a grin as well and started laughing. And keep laughing. It was a couple of moments before Harry laughed away all of his excess tension.

"Fred and George put it in. The Weasley twins," Harry replied. James continue to look at him confused. Harry suddenly found himself launching into a long tale. This was something he was comfortable talking about. Something his fun-loving prank-pulling father could appreciate. The more he talked the easier it was to keep talking. Before Harry knew it, he had explained the twins rebellion against Umbridge and the resulting swamp.

"That's amazing. I wish I could've seen it. And to imagine strict McGonagall just turning a blind eye to students pranking a teacher. Umbridge must have been heinous," James laughed in response to the story. A silence fell between the two men. Harry was surprised to note it wasn't awkward. Suddenly Harry didn't feel any of the earlier panic he felt when talking to his dad.

"How else did students torment her?" James asked with a smile.

Harry found himself launching into another story. Finally he could relax. He didn't have to lie to his father anymore. And these were stories he was sure his father could relate to. And suddenly James was telling Harry a story in response. He was exchanging stories with his father. Laughing with his father.

Harry had told James all about his life earlier that day. But that was his life story about being "the-boy-who-lived," not about his life as Harry.

So Harry told him about himself as a person, about his time at Hogwarts. The good memories. Harry told James about Fred and George's skiving snacks.

"I wish I would have thought of that," had been James's response.

Harry told James about his adventures with Hagrid's dragon and Blast-Ended-Skrewts. James couldn't help but feel relief that he had missed that adventure. James shook his head with astoundment (and maybe a bit of jealousy) as Harry told James how he had arrived to Hogwarts in a flying car his second year. ("And I thought I was a trouble maker") James couldn't help but laugh as Harry told him of his disastrous date with Cho Chang. James was returning stories of his own. The kind Harry had wanted to hear his whole life.

"And then out of nowhere Professor McGonagall in her animagus form walks around the corner. Of course Sirius has the bright idea to start chasing after her and barking. I've never seen a cat run so fast from a dog. It took her about five whole minutes until she realized to turn back into a human and then, of course, it was Padfoot who was running from McGonagal. He certainly didn't want to get hexed. Anyways long story short at the next dinner in the great hall Dumbledore warned the students that dogs could not be kept at Hogwarts as pets and lectured us on the importance of giving dogs rabies shots. All the while McGonagall is looking around like the grim was gonna pop up out of nowhere." James grinned and Harry couldn't stop laughing at the image of a paranoid McGonagall looking out for stray rapid dogs.

The men had long since reached the Quidditch pitch and just sat there talking. James could see himself for the first time in Harry. His sense of humor, his sense of pride. James felt his guilt lessening. Harry's life hadn't been all bad. His unrealized fear of Harry vanished. Harry was a kid, who played and laughed just like everybody else. Perhaps his son's life hadn't quite been the disaster he thought it was.

His son was mature without a doubt. He was an adult who had the strength to face Voldemort. But at the same time he was just a normal kid. A boy who had to struggle through awkward dates. A student who slept through History of Magic and made fun of the Divination teacher. Just like any other student.

James sighed and tuned back into Harry's latest story.

"So there I was in my invisibility cloak right by the Shrieking Shack," Harry was telling James. "And Malfoy was just standing there insulting my friends." Harry's eyes gleamed and he suppressed a laugh. "So of course I started throwing mud at Malfoy. You should have seen him scream. I thought Malfoy was gonna piss himself. He actually believed ghosts were attacking him. Of course I didn't know at the time what the Shrieking Shack was really for."

"Man I can't believe you had to put up with Malfoy Jr. and Snape I don't know how I would've manage." James paused and grinned widely. "Okay so this one time Snape was being a git like usual. Insulting Lily and all. So well I decided I had enough of it. I mean she always tried to defend him even knowing he was a Death Eater and all's he could do was be an arse to her. So, well, I did this spell that made his pants drop and he was outside in the court yard. You should have seen him standing there in his underwear. He was furious." James laughed.

Harry felt as thought a bucket of ice had been dropped into his stomach. How could his father laugh about being so cruel? That was what Harry had seen. The scene from Snape's pensive and James was callously laughing about it.

Harry's own laughter filled his head.

'I thought Malfoy was gonna piss himself.' The words echoed back into Harry's head. Harry realized he had enjoyed the fact that he had scared the shit out of a 13-year-old boy. Was that really that different from what his father did to Snape. 'Yes," Harry thought. He hadn't been nearly so cruel. Shaking his head, Harry realized that was hypocritical. They had both been cruel. But he had never got physical, Harry tried to defend himself. But once again a nagging voice in the back of his head told him that wasn't true. That was how he got expelled from Quidditch in his fifth year. And who knows how far he would have taken that fight if the teachers hadn't stopped it. They had both made mistakes.

And suddenly Harry realized James was only his age. He was only a person. A 17-year-old boy. He wasn't merely 'the-noble-man-who-had-sacrificed-his-life-for-his-wife-and-son,' just as Harry wasn't only 'the-boy-who-lived.' James was a person. Just like him. Capable of mistakes and anger and hate, but also love and loyalty and everything else.

Harry smiled. For the first time in his life, Harry no longer felt like he needed his father to approve of him. He didn't need to live up to his father's legend. Nor did he feel disgust at his fathers imperfections. Harry looked up and meet his father eyes and saw affection in them and knew his own eyes were shining back just as brightly. Both men were more than legends they were human. His father wasn't perfect and neither was he.

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James saw the look in Harry's eyes and decided now or never. Time to get serious. This was his best chance to gain his son's respect. He wouldn't return to the past with his son hating him. Even though his son didn't seem to hate him now.

"You know Harry you're a lot different than I would have imagined my son," James said softly. Harry looked in James's hazel eyes and knew it wasn't an insult. "You're brave, funny, and talented. I'm mean, of course I expected that. But you're also more mature than I ever could have imagined. Who would have thought I could produce something so mature? And the things you've had to do. . ." James trailed off, running his hands through his hair awkwardly.

Harry felt a small amount of dread. James was disgusted that Harry had killed. But James had made mistakes too, had done things that were wrong. Maybe James wouldn't understand his actions, but if he was mature enough he would forgive him.

"I never would have hoped you'd have to kill someone. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to take another person's life. I don't know if I would have had the courage to do the same. And I know if I would have never been able to pretend to be Wormtail's friend. I can't even imagine how hard that must have been for you." Harry felt his heart stop. His father didn't think he was a murderous coward. Or a traitor for not killing Wormtail on sight.

"You don't think that what I did was wrong?" Harry whispered hopefully.

"No, I think you did what you had to do. And I can only hope I would've done the same," James replied earnestly.

"James. . . Dad," Harry whispered nervously. "You–you don't think I'm a freak?"

James blanched confused about the question. He didn't understand where the question was coming from.

"I'm not exactly normal," Harry added softly.

"No s-son I don't think you're a freak. I think you're extraordinary," James replied honestly and openly. Harry felt a weight he never knew was there lift off of him. Suddenly all of his aunt's and uncle's insults lost any effect they once had. His cupboard looked more like a prison than a safe haven. The burden of knowing he had killed lessened even more.

"Thanks," Harry said shakily looking down awkwardly. James sighed in relief. Harry obviously didn't hate him so much that his opinion meant nothing. James steeled himself for the plunge–

"Harry I know that you must be, eh, disgust by some of the things I've done but–"

"No," Harry cut James off. Both men's eyes snapped up and met each others. Vibrant green staring into deep hazel.

"I mean there was a time not too long ago," Harry began. "You've made mistakes James. But everybody does. I'm not going to expect you to be perfect like I used to. Because that's the mistake everybody made with me. When people have high expectations of somebody they've never met, their hopes are bound not to be met.

"I know you now. Not just your memory and I'm proud to call you my father. Flaws and all," Harry finished resolutely.

Now it was James's turn to feel as if a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. The two of them starred into the others eyes. Both obviously trying to hold back strong emotions. Harry was highly embarrassed to feel tears prickling the back of his eyes. With a shutter, James stood up and pulled Harry into a tight hug. Harry couldn't imagine a happier moment.

"I'm proud to know you're gonna be my son."

"You've been a good father."

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Dumbledore started walking out toward the Quidditch pitch to find father and son hugging fiercely. Eyes twinkling brightly, it was several minutes before the boys pulled away. Harry would finally have his peace. As much as Dumbledore didn't want to interrupt one of the few chances they would have to be together, their window for using the Black Veil was small and couldn't be delayed. James and Harry both jumped, startled, as Dumbledore walked up on them.

"Hello, I suppose you've spent the day well?" Dumbledore asked with sparkling eyes. Both boys nodded and smiled.

"I'm sorry to say this but I need the two of you up in my office," Dumbledore added kindly. Harry and James exchanged a sad look. The time they got to spend together had been so small.

"We didn't even get to play Quidditch," Harry murmured, not really caring about the Quidditch at all.

"I've already seen you play and know you would've beat me. BS you hadn't played since your third year. And I know I wouldn't have grounded you from Quidditch," James snorted. Harry glanced at Dumbledore and tried not blush about his lie.

"I was expelled from Quidditch," Harry mumbled. James's mouth dropped like a fish and he starred at Dumbledore in betrayal. "It was Umbridge's fault. You remember what I told you about her?" James nodded but still looked positively scandalized.

The group slowly made there way towards Dumbledore's office. To find out whether Sirius could be saved and if Harry's efforts had been in vain.

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All of the time travelers plus Ron were sitting comfortably in Dumbledore's office, awaiting his explanation.

"Minister Fudge has kindly granted us the use of the Black Veil tonight. So after I explain the ritual we will be on our way," Dumbledore said kindly.

All of the Marauders looked sad to be going home but accepting. Harry was sad to think of them going, of letting go of the father he had just reconciled with. But he was also impatient to finally rescue Sirius and have his Godfather back.

Dumbledore explained the ritual and because Harry, Hermione, Sirus, and Remus has already used the veil, it was easy for them to pick up on the incantations. The time traveling ritual was rather similar to the travel distance ritual.

"And so we will floo over to the Department of Mysteries in just a couple minutes. Any questions?" Dumbledore asked looking from boy to boy.

"What about me?" Sirius blurted. Dumbledore didn't appear fazed.

"Ah, I was wondering when somebody was going to ask me that. In theory it should be relatively simple to remove your future self from the veil. And we will do so right after we send you back." The Marauders nodded in understanding.

"What do you mean in theory?" Harry asked sharply. Dumbledore paused to think carefully before answering.

"There are no reports of this ritual ever being completed successfully and this book is very old. There is a chance that it might not work. We will just have to be very care to do exactly as the book says. I do, however, believe the ritual looks authentic and I am fairly sure it could work," Dumbledore said with an unusual absence of twinkle in his eye. Harry paled but nodded determined.

"So what is the ritual?" Hermione asked ever curious (and slightly nervous).

"Well five people who care deeply about Sirius are going to sit in a circle in front of the black veil. I'm thinking you, Harry, Ron, myself, and the older Remus. He's already agreed to help. In fact he practically insisted. And then we each recite a different incantation one after another," Dumbledore smiled.

"It can be any five friends of Sirius?" Hermione asked skeptically.

Dumbledore smiled at Hermione, impressed that she had realized there had to more of a connection to Sirius than a simple friendship for the incantation to work.

"Each person has to have a specific type of connection with Sirius in order for the spell to work. A connection to the past, the present, and the future. The past is represented by a mentor, me. The present, a friend, which is why I called in Remus."

"The future," Harry broke in, "I'm his future."

"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore responded.

"But what about me and Ron? How do we fit in?" Hermione asked, ever curious.

"You two are to act as a unifying force. Hermione will say the part of the incantation that bridges the past and the present together. And you Ron will say the complimentary part of the incantation that bridges the present and future together," Dumbledore explained calmly.

"What's the incantation?" Hermione asked quickly.

"_Tribuo tergum quisquam ut eram lost. Tribuo tergum quisquam ut eram captus pro suus vicis. Tribuo tergum unus EGO pendo altus. Niger tela vos have captus quisquam ut is est non vestri. Tribuo tergum vestri spolium. Is est mei. Niger tela vos es ut prosterno orbis of vita. Ut restituo vestri erroris. Tribuo tergum quisquam ut eram secus captus._ And several variations." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled.

Ron groaned loudly. "How am I ever supposed to memorize that?"

"The ritual will take a couple of hours of practicing before we try it," Dumbledore said kindly. Even Hermione looked slightly daunted by the task. Ron still shook his head in disbelief.

"I didn't go back into the past and end up facing Voldemort so a little incantation could throw me off. Lets go," Harry stated.

The whole group seemed to nod in agreement. Harry stood up, walked over to Dumbledore's fireplace, and grabbed some Floo powder. With a couple of words and a burst of green flames he was gone. The rest of the rooms occupants followed one by one. It was now or never. The ritual would work or not. They would save Sirius or he would be lost forever.

A/N: So what did you think? Too long, too short, too sappy? Please review. And tell me if you want a happy ending or a sad ending because I have two endings in mind and I'm not sure which to choose so tell me what you want. Until next time. Which hopefully won't be long. Many thanks to Marguerida. Sorry about the horrible online Latin translation.


	24. Time

1Chapter 24: Time to Go

Harry found himself walking in a very familiar long corridor. But this wasn't a dream. He knew why he was here. And he knew what was behind the door he was looking for.

The rest of the group followed Harry in silence. Ron and Hermione walked close to each other right behind Harry. Neither of them had forgotten the brutal fight over the Prophecy that had occurred only two years ago. Both Ron and Hermione tried not to think about how they had been injured. Neither wanted to think about the fact that this was the place their friend had his final confrontation with Voldemort.

James, Remus and Sirius, who had no history in Department of Mysteries, were looking around in awe. The poorly lit corridor had an eerie feeling to it; even Sirius wasn't immune. The lights flickered in the corridor making the shadows on the walls dance.

Dumbledore brought up the rear. He followed his students though the dreary corridor with perfect ease.

Harry's feet slowed and finally came to a stop. Finger tips touching the door knob, Harry glanced toward Dumbledore. Dumbledore gave the smallest of nods. Without another moment of hesitation, Harry swung the door open and breathed out in relief. The Minister had keep his word. They had the access they needed to use the veil.

Harry strode into the room and was greeted by the familiar whispers that came fluttering from the Black Veil. Only Harry and Dumbledore didn't feel intimidated by the powerful object.

"So I've been stuck in there?" Sirius whispered to himself. His whisper echoed through out the room. Harry stared between the veil and Sirius. His jaw set and eyes oddly stern, the look of determination upon Harry's face was unmistakable.

"You won't be anymore though," a quiet voice came from the door. Everybody whipped around to see a much older Remus Lupin standing in the doorway. He entered the room and shut the door behind him.

Sirius nodded hopefully.

The younger Remus studied his older self carefully. He was wearing a guarded expression and all emotions were kept from his face. He was intentionally keeping his eyes focused anywhere but the young Marauders. The younger Remus couldn't blame his future self. He couldn't begin to imagine the pain that he would go through when he thought he was the only Marauder left. He didn't want to imagine what it would do to him, seeing all of his old friends alive again. If only for a few minutes.

"We should go," young Remus said. James and Sirius looked slightly reluctant, but nodded anyways.

Sirius and James seemed to realize Remus's pain. They knew there was nothing they could say to him to ease his inner conflict. James and Sirius turned to the older Remus. James felt awkward; he didn't know what to say.

"This isn't the final goodbye," the older Remus offered.

"I'm going back with Remus and Sirius. I'll see you again. But you won't see me," James said.

"This isn't truly goodbye. I believe I'll see you in the afterlife. And hopefully I'll be seeing you, Sirius, soon enough."

The three men nodded tightly at each other before turning away.

Remus turned to Harry and hugged him fiercely.

"I'd say goodbye. But I know I'll be here once I leave anyways," Remus said indicating his older-counterpart. Harry nodded in understanding. It was Sirius's turn next and Harry found himself wrapped up in a bear hug.

"Thank you for everything you've done. Thank you for trying," Sirius whispered into Harry's ear.

"I won't fail you."

"You never could," was Sirius's only response.

Harry and Sirius broke away from each other. Harry turned and faced James. Green eyes met hazel. The two men hugged fiercely, but briefly. Neither man said a word. Everything that needed to be said had already been spoken. No goodbye seemed adequate. So both men simply said goodbye with their eyes.

Harry gave his father one last look and turned away. It was time. The boys had all already used the Black Veil once. No additional instructions were needed. The boys calmly and quietly completed the ritual. Harry turned back around and the Marauders were gone. He would never see his father again. He felt this throat tighten and he exhaled sharply. He had felt as though he had lost his father just after he found him. Today had been the only day that they had ever truly gotten to talk.

Harry sighed. There would be enough time later to think about recent events. Now was not the time. Now was the time to save Sirius.

"Lets finish this," Harry said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked as she ran over to Harry to give him a hug. Harry shook her off and nodded in determination. He had gone to the past to save Sirius. He had gone to the past to improve his future. There was no use dwelling on what had happened.

"Lets do the ritual," Remus said with a forced calm. Sirius was his best friend. Other than Harry there was nobody that wanted Sirius back more. He had meant what he said to the younger Sirius. He had every intention of seeing Sirius again before he died. Four faces turned to Dumbledore in anticipation.

"Alright but I must warn you not to get your hopes up. There is no guarantee that this will work," Dumbledore said. Everybody noted his eyes seemed to be absent of their normal twinkle.

"It will work," Harry said with steel in his voice. Remus was just as certain. Dumbledore sighed.

"Let us begin."

The five adults gathered in front of the Black Veil. It looked as intimidating as ever. The five arranged themselves in a line in front of the Veil and gathered all the materials they had brought with them. After exchanging glances Dumbledore indicated he was about to begin.

"_Ex preteritus reverto ut nonnullus res ut belongs_," Dumbledore said his simple part of the incantation. He had been holding a small amount of dust in his hand. He blew it off as he finished his line. Dumbledore expressed the element of Earth. Hermione was next. She had to finish her part of the incantation before all the dust settled to the floor. As the dust fell the veil stopped fluttering and acted as though it was being pulled toward the Earth.

"_Ex preteritus ut tendo. Nos volo quis est nostri. Is eram a secui nostri preteritus quod should exsisto a secui nostri tendo_. _Addo preteritus ut tendo._" Hermione finished her part of the incantation with ease. The last bite of dust fell to the floor. Her part of the incantation was a success. Hermione breathed in deeply after she finished and let out a long slow breath. Hermione represented the element of air. The Veil seemed to start fluttering more than usual. Remus was next he had to finish his part before Hermione stopped exhaling.

"_Sit meus tendo. Sit seorsum illae vicis. Sit meus frater. EGO vadum non have meus frater captus pro suus vicis._" Remus finished in a rush as he noticed Hermione was having trouble continuing exhaling. Remus began pouring out a cup of water he had been holding. The veil's movements seemed to change in response to the movement of the water. Then Ron began. He had to finish before the last drop of water hit the ground. Thankfully Remus had a large cup of water.

"_Ex tendo ut posterus. Is mereo mereor praeter a preteritus. Is mereo mereor a posterus pariter._" Ron finished in plenty of time but nonetheless let out a deep breath of relief. Ron lit a flame. The fourth element. The Veil seemed to flicker around like a fire. Harry began his part in a strong voice. Determined, but nervous about finishing before Ron's flame died.

"_Tribuo tergum quisquam ut eram lost. Tribuo tergum quisquam ut eram captus pro suus vicis. Tribuo tergum unus EGO pendo altus. Niger tela vos have captus quisquam ut is est non vestri. Tribuo tergum vestri spolium. Is est mei. Niger tela vos es ut prosterno orbis of vita. Ut restituo vestri erroris. Tribuo tergum quisquam ut eram secus captus," _Harry finished the incantation.

All five of them stared at the veil. Nothing happened. Harry could tell, he could feel it in his magic that something was missing. He looked to Ron's flame; it was still burning. So why hadn't the veil responded to his portion of the incantation?

They must be missing a part of the ritual, he realized. The final stage of the ritual must have been missing from the book. Harry sunk to his knees in despair. He had failed. His robes pulled up on his knees and he caught site of his lucky socks, even they couldn't help him this time. The other four stared at Harry in disbelief, nobody was brave enough to break the silence.

Ron's mouth was gaping open. He didn't even notice as the flame he was holding burned closer and closer to his hands. The flame he was holding flickered.

A glint caught Harry's eyes. The metal from Harry's old knife caught his eye. Ron's flame had hit the metal. He wondered dully how he had gotten it back; he certainly didn't remember putting it in his sock. Harry slowly pulled it out. Magic surged through him and Harry knew what was missing. He knew why the incantation hadn't worked.

Snapping the blade open, without hesitation, he took the steel to his wrist. He didn't even hear Hermione when she cried out that it wasn't worth it and they would find another way.

Thick crimson blood began to seep across his pale skin. He turned his wrist over and let the blood drip on the floor. As the drop of blood hit the floor Ron's flame suddenly died. Blood. The fifth element. The essence of life.

The blood soaked into the floor and the Black Veil fell still. All five people stared at the Veil in hope. An oppressive silence filled the room. It was a good minute before the veil moved again. A howling wind ripped out from the Black Veil and it began to flutter like mad. Before Harry could blink Sirius Black tumbled out onto the floor.

Authors notes: I know it was short, but hey after 6 months I suppose anythings better than nothing. I think all that is left will be an epilogue. Which I sincerely promise won't take me too long to write. So tell me what you think.


	25. Epilogue

1AUTHORS NOTES: Well I can't really believe it but its finally done. I know the chapter is short but well there wasn't much left to happen. I hope you liked it. I'd really appreciate a review if you got this far that way I have some sort of idea how many people actually finished the story. Some sort of overall opinion of the story would be awesome. Thank you to all the reviewers I would have never finished if it weren't for you. ENJOY and tell me what you think.

Professor McGonagall was not happy when she stumbled across three unconscious boys on her way down to breakfast. She discovered Remus, Sirius, and James passed out just outside of a charms classroom. Professor McGonagall was further concerned to learn that none of the three boys could remember the past couple of days. While she would normally be suspicious of such a convenient memory loss, she knew it was more than a coincidence that a certain Harry Potter had turned up missing just after their memory lapse. McGonagall could only hope that Harry had found whatever it was he had been looking for.

James stared moodily at his surroundings. Once again he found himself in the Hospital Wing, only this time he didn't know why he was here. Remus and Sirius were laying down on the beds next to him and Lily and Peter were sitting on some chairs pulled up by his bed.

The three boys weren't hurt but were being kept in the Hospital Wing for observation. Any nurse had every right to be worried about unexplained memory loss. However, when Dumbledore had spoke to the boys he had seem intrigued yet unconcerned by the memory loss.

Remus and Sirius had reported the last thing they remembered was getting ready to go somewhere with Harry. Both carefully avoided mentioning where. James had recollected the last thing he remembered was following Remus, Sirius, and Harry. Dumbledore had seemed satisfied with the answers and left after reporting that Harry had returned home to his parents. Remus and Sirius exchanged a confused yet curious glance but neglected to comment.

James too was quiet. He was angry, but only a little. The last thing he remembered was knowing that he had to keep Remus and Sirius out of trouble. He remembered following them. And James knew, in his head, that Harry must have led them to trouble. Why else would have they ended up in the Hospital Wing? James knew that he disliked Harry. But for some reason he didn't seem to feel it anymore.

"Look you got letters," Peter broke into James's musing. James flicked his eyes toward Peter, annoyed. Indeed an owl had came into the hospital with two letters. One for Lily and one for James. Peter handed James his letter; James snatched it out of Peter's hand. Peter drew back slightly alarmed. James sighed guiltily; he didn't know why he was so annoyed with Peter. Maybe he was just angry that Peter hadn't been with him, Remus, and Sirius, whenever they had got themselves into this trouble. Shaking his head James fought back his unexplained angry.

"Sorry Peter, I guess I'm a bit jumpy," James apologize.

"It's fine," Peter squeaked in relief. James mentally shrugged at his moodiness and tried to let go of his feeling of angry. After all Peter hadn't done anything.

"Mine's from Harry," Lily said surprised.

"What does it say?" Remus asked from his hospital bed.

Lily read out loud, "Lily, I will be leaving soon and I simply wished to say goodbye. I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye in person, but I simply did not know how. I will never forget your kindness and I will never forget you. It seems like a life time ago when I first meet you, even though we haven't known each other long. Thank you for caring about me, and at times sticking up for me. I will miss you always.

Love,

Harry."

James was surprised to realize Harry's lettered to Lily hadn't made him angry. In fact it seemed to calm him somehow. James opened his own letter and was unsurprised to find it was from Harry. It was awkward and clumsy in wording. James couldn't quite understand. He wasn't Harry's friend, yet somehow the awkward goodbye warmed his heart. Without understanding it, he felt close to Harry. He decided not to analyze the feeling too closely. He merely decided if he and Harry ever met he would ask him about it.

Lily too was confused by Harry's letter but decided to simply be glad she had been there for an obviously lonely boy. Like James, she too hoped to meet with Harry again.

Neither Lily nor James heard Remus whisper to Sirius, "He must be home now. Hopefully its for the best."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine," Sirius replied.

"Get back here Buckbeak," Harry laughed. He watched the creature fly down to Sirius. Sirius tossed Buckbeak a ferret, which he promptly ate. Harry smiled at his godfather and his pet. Buckbeak had been delighted to see his old owner. Randomly Sirius turned into his dog form and ran over to Harry, tail wagging. Quickly Sirius re-transformed into a human. Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Want to go over to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink?" Sirius asked with a smile. Harry nodded and returned the smile widely.

"I still can't believe I'm free," Sirius said wistfully.

"Of course the Minister exonerated you," Harry replied forcefully.

"I know, I know. But think about things from my point of view. One day I'm stuck in a house I hate helping organize the fight against Voldemort, and the next thing I know–I'm a free man, Voldemort is dead, and I can do as I please with my Godson." Sirius smiled widely. Harry couldn't help but grin back.

Sirius did not remember anything that had happened when he was in the veil. It was as if time had stopped for him. From the time Belletrix had knocked him in the veil to the time Harry had rescued him from the Veil felt like a matter of seconds to Sirius.

In what felt like a moment to Sirius, Voldemort had been defeated and he had been declared innocent. It was more than Sirius could have hoped for. Sirius still got a haunted look in his eye from time to time. But Sirius was happy. Happier than he could remember being since before he went to Azkaban. Things were going right for a change.

"I know Sirius. Lets go get some butter beers," Harry said with eyes shining. What more could have Harry ever hoped for? He had his godfather back.

A/N: Well that's it hope you enjoyed it. Please review.


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